Mika Part two
by Manga-bird
Summary: The SPR team is closer to unravelling and solving the ghost problem in Fai's mansion, but the question is will the ghosts let them complete their mission? or do they have plans of their own?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER - i do not own ghost hunt or any of the characters from the manga used in this story. The character Fai is based on Fai from the Tsubasa Chronicles

* * *

"What were you doing up stairs Fai?" John asked as they stood by the front door with Lin, waiting for Mai and the others. Fai, who had been looking at the melting snow with a far off look in his eyes, looked up in surprise,

"Hm? Oh, that. I just thought I should give Mai some space." He replied innocently, at which John looked at him suspiciously.

"You knew that Naru would go after her didn't you?" he accused, receiving an innocent look in return,

"I don't know what you mean." He replied as he flicked his blonde bangs out of his eyes. "In any case, they're back now so you can be on your way. I'm sure you'll want to get some more clothes and supplies before returning." He added as the kitchen door opened and Monk-san entered, followed by Mai and Naru,

"Yes. I should be back within an hour." John replied as he buttoned his chequered brown coat. "How about you Monk-san?" John asked as he looked up at the older man.

"Me? Oh, I shouldn't be more than three hours. I'm dropping Lin-san off first, and then we'll head over to my house before coming back." He replied as he scratched his head absently, his blue eyes looking up at the ceiling distractedly.

"Well, then we'll all be back here by at most five O'clock." Naru stated as he pulled on his black coat and walked to the door, followed by Mai, who pulled her coat on as she went. "Mai, we'll stop at yours first and I'll drop you off." He said as she climbed into the van. Mai waited for Naru to climb in the driver's side before she argued,

"Naru, I'm not staying out of this. If you take me home I'll just walk back." She replied, ignoring his glare as she looked out of the window, "Although I don't know that I'd make it before it got dark…and it looks like it might snow again." She added as she looked up at the cloudy sky. Naru took a deep breath as he turned on the engine,

"Mai, you promised me, at the first sign of trouble." He began as she pulled her coat off in the growing heat,

"I know, but you're in trouble too, so I'll stay and keep an eye on you." She replied,

"Considering what happened earlier that might not be the best idea…" Naru replied bitterly, unable to look at Mai as he brought up his earlier possession. He gasped as he felt Mai's hand on his knee, his grip on the steering wheel tightening until his knuckles were white,

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault, so try not to feel guilty about it." She said comfortingly before blushing and looking out of the window, releasing his knee. He stole a glance at her as he drove and took in her appearance. She looked different somehow as she sat there. She was more mature, her head leaning elegantly on her hand, her elbow supported on the window and her legs crossed, causing her skirt to ride up her thighs.

"But I…I don't want you to get hurt." He argued awkwardly, keeping his eyes on the road as he spoke, feeling her give him an affectionate look.

"I'll be fine…it's nice of you to worry though." She replied with a smile before looking back out of the window. _If I didn't know better I'd say Naru was blushing._ Mai thought in amusement as she looked at his reflection in the window. _I wonder what it was down the well…could it have been my imagination? Maybe, but I'm so sure that I saw something…but Naru would never let me go back to check it out my self…I'll just have to sneak out somehow…it could be important, in fact I'm sure it is!_ She thought, absently listening to the news on the radio,

"_Well, as far as we know it was a Ford that skidded off the road in the blizzard and got hit by an arctic, forcing it over the railing and into the gully. The driver was a middle-aged man, but so far the police have not given any other details. We would like to remind everyone that there is another blizzard on the way, so please, don't go out if you don't have to. The authorities would like to avoid any more unfortunate accidents._" The reporter said. Mai sighed in pity, _that poor man, I feel sorry for his family._ She thought,

"Alright, here we are." Naru said as he pulled up outside Mai's house. "Do you need any help?" he asked as Mai hopped out.

"Sure, you can keep me company. My dad won't be home for hours." She replied as she closed the door, waiting for Naru before walking up to the front door and unlocking it. "Are you coming up?" she asked as she went to the bottom of the stairs and looked over her shoulder as Naru closed the door.

"Sure." He replied shortly as she bounded up, her skirt rising and falling with each step, almost revealing her underwear. Mai walked to her room and went in, _where did I put that case?_ She wondered as she knelt down and looked under the bed, where she could see a small black case big enough to carry a weeks worth of clothes. "You shouldn't need too much, there is a washing machine." Naru said, as if answering her thoughts.

"Okay, this should do then." She replied as she pulled the small case out and put it on the bed. It was on wheels, the type of case airhostesses use when they fly to a country and stay for the night before coming back, it was also the bag that Mai used for her hand luggage on planes. Mai left the case open on the bed and went to her drawers, doing the underwear first, and being quick about it because Naru was watching her every move. She then walked to her wardrobe and opened it, looking at all of her skirts and trousers thoughtfully. _I'll take one pair or chords in case we go out in the snow again and two skirts…but which ones? _She wondered as she pulled a pair of light brown chords from the hanger and looked at the skirts. She jerked as an arm reached over her shoulder and pulled one black pleated skirt and one chequered that almost matched John's coat.

"These will do." He said as he looked down at her, "I've always thought you looked nice in this one." He added as he held up the chequered skirt. _Why did I know that Naru would choose something black?_ She thought as she eyed the black pleated skirt. _I've never even worn this one…I guess I should get some use out of it though._ She added as she took the skirts and pulled them off the hangers, letting them clatter to the floor as she hurried to her case. She went to her drawers and opened them, _well; this black top will go with that skirt…_she thought as she picked up the sleeveless roll neck and looked back in the drawer. _Ah, this beige would look nice with the chequered skirt._ She added as she picked up a long sleeved top. "You might want a jumper or two, oh, and don't forget nightwear." Naru reminded her from the doorway.

"Right." She replied as she grabbed a thick white tracksuit top and looked at her nightclothes, pulling some blue silk pyjamas out of the drawer. "Now what else…oh!" she yelped as she hopped to her night stand and picked up her pills, quickly swallowing one before putting the rest of the packet in the case and zipping it shut, turning to see Naru looking a little uncomfortable. _That's strange…he wasn't so tense a minute ago…_she thought as she picked up her case.

"I'll take it." Naru said as he stepped forward and took the case from her hand. Mai let him take the case, her heart skipping a beat as their hands touched lightly. Mai stole a glance up at Naru to see him looking down at her, both of them looking away quickly when they caught each other's eye.

"W-we'd better be going." Mai said quickly, turning away to hide her blush, _why am I so nervous? We've already kissed, so what is there to worry about?_ She wondered as she looked around her room, her eyes lingering on her bed, a few impish thoughts entering her head as she glanced sideways at Naru, _no! Bad Mai-chan! What are you thinking?_ She thought in embarrassment.

"You're right, let's go." Naru replied quickly as he saw Mai's gaze flick from the bed to him, her light blush making it obvious what she was thinking about. As she jerked out of her thoughts he smirked and walked to the door,

"Uh, r-right." She replied quickly as she followed him, her gaze travelling up and down his back, mostly watching his lower half. _God he's gorgeous…_she thought distractedly as they reached the bottom of the stairs, where Naru pulled the door open and walked out with Mai close behind. "So, I guess I finally get to see your house now huh?" she said cheerfully as they walked to the van. Mai climbed in and heard Naru open the back doors to put her case in before climbing in beside her.

"It's just a small apartment, there's nothing to be excited about." He replied as he started the engine and pulled off the curb. Mai sighed as she stretched, groaning as she leaned forward on the dashboard. "Tired?" Naru asked teasingly as Mai sat back.

"No." she replied stubbornly as she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, hearing Naru's soft chuckle as she relaxed and sighed again.

* * *

"Mai." Naru said softly. Mai sighed as she opened her eyes and found herself lying down on the grass in a sunny garden, _what? I was just…damn! I fell asleep again!_ She thought as she got to her feet and brushed herself off, _he'll never let me hear the end of it! _She added as she looked at Naru,

"We're…in Fai's garden again aren't we?" she said as she looked around, seeing the well. As she stepped closer to the well she heard a muffled cry and deep grunts, _this is where we left off last time! I don't want to see this! Let me out! Let me wake up!_ She thought in a flurry as she turned away, feeling Naru grab her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder gently,

"You have to see this through Mai. You're the only one who can help." He purred, his arms and voice somehow claming her. "You don't have to watch it…you can go round when he's…finished." He added as he massaged her shoulders gently. Mai took a breath and stepped forward, walking around the well until she could see them, Mika was pinned to the ground, her Kimono ripped open and Tohru above her, thrusting into her roughly as he kissed and licked her neck, leaving numerous dark red marks on her porcelain skin

"No! Tohru! Pease stop!" Mika cried helplessly as tears streamed down her cheeks making her eyes red. Tohru groaned angrily as he leaned over her, snarling at her face,

"You think you're too good for me? Is that it? You whore!" he shouted in rage, slapping her face hard. Mika's head snapped to the side with its force as she sobbed,

"Tohru! Stop!" she cried as she tried to push him back, sobbing loudly as he moved his hips forward, grinding them into hers,

"Why? Don't you like it? Doesn't it feel good?" he asked as he pulled back and pushed into her again, his head moving down to kiss the hollow of her neck again.

"No Tohru! I want you to stop!" she cried as she tried again to throw him off, but the hold he had on her wrists was too strong and she could only move him a few inches from her chest before she collapsed back to the grass in exhaustion. "Eishi! Eishi! Help me! Please!" she shouted, crying as Tohru bit down on her neck roughly until it bled,

"Shut up you bitch!" he hissed venomously, licking the blood and sighing as he savoured the taste. "Why do you call for Eishi? You have me. I love you. Eishi doesn't." he continued in a purring voice as he nuzzled her throat. "You know he only married you for the money…the daughter of the General…that's quite a lot of money you inherit, isn't it Mika?" he said,

"Of all the things! How low can you stoop Tohru? I do not believe your lies! I know Eishi loves me! And if you truly loved me you would not be doing this!" she replied as he continued to thrust into her, gritting her teeth against the pleasure he was trying to force on her, focusing only on the pain he caused.

"But I do love you Mika, that is why I am trying to save you." He replied, licking the tears from her cheeks, making a shudder run through her body as she lay there.

"I hate you Tohru." She replied darkly,

"No you don't." he replied as he kissed her cheek,

"I do. I will never love you, you rapist." She hissed, letting the hatred show in her eyes as he came inside her. He pulled out of her and looked down at her, his fists shaking in anger until he finally let it overcome him. Mai gasped in horror as he kicked Mika repeatedly anywhere he could reach, her face, stomach, chest and legs,

"No…stop…you'll kill her…stop…" Mai cried as she watched, feeling her stomach turn as the blood began to flow from new cuts while Mika's pale skin turned blue in places and the sound of cracking bones was cutting across Mika's pained moans. _I have to help her! I can't just…watch this…_she cried inwardly, feeling Naru's arms around her as she stepped forward.

"There is nothing you can do." He said sadly as tears filled her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She watched Tohru step back panting, looking down at Mika's broken body with a manic grin. Mai looked at the bleeding corpse and felt her stomach heave. She covered her mouth and ran to the edge of the trees where she bent over and choked as she vomited, feeling a gentle hand rubbing her back and holding the loose hair away from her face. _Oh god he killed her! He beat her to death and I watched him do it!_ She cried inwardly as her throat burned from the acid in her throat. "Mai." Naru said gently. Mai looked over her shoulder and he pointed to the well, where Tohru had lifted Mika's body, _what's he going to do now? Hide her in the forest somewhere? Fai did say that her body was never recovered…maybe I should go to the clearing and see if I can feel anything…_she thought,


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

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"Mai! Are you alright? Wake up!" Naru's voice half shouted as he shook her shoulders. Mai opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She was lying on something soft and warm, and something was covering her. "No, don't sit up yet." Naru said gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "How are you feeling?" he asked as he looked down at her in concern. Mai looked up as his face came into focus and then turned her head, finding herself in a warm room. She raised a hand and rubbed her eyes tiredly and noticed a thick black duvet covered her and her head was resting on two black pillows. As she looked around she noticed, gratefully, that the walls were white. The room was quite plain, though there was a large bookshelf full of psychic research books and a neat desk in the corner. _Is this…Naru's room?_ She wondered as she looked around and then at the duvet that she clutched in her hand, _I'm in Naru's bed!_ She thought, blushing as she looked up at him.

"Um…why am I?" she asked shyly as she looked up at a concerned Naru, who touched her forehead gently,

"When we arrived you were shaking and crying, but I couldn't wake you up so I carried you in here and you were sick, but you don't seem to have a fever." He replied as he took his hand away, "It wasn't…something you saw was it?" he asked as she sat up slowly,

"Oh…" she said as she looked down, remembering Tohru as he beat Mika to death, the blood soaking the grass and splattering across the side of the well. She raised her hand to her mouth as the nausea rose again. _I can't believe he did that and I couldn't do anything!_ She thought guiltily as tears slid down her cheeks. She felt strong arms wrap round her and clutched the front of Naru's shirt, crying into his chest, "He beat her! He raped her and beat her to death, and I couldn't do anything! There was so much blood…I couldn't stand it." She cried as Naru rubbed her back,

"It's okay…you didn't ruin anything expensive." He replied, smiling slightly as she slapped his chest. When he looked down at her she smiled slightly, tears still running down her cheeks.

"That was cold, but I am sorry I threw up in your house." She replied apologetically as she noticed she was wearing something black, _a black shirt? Why am I wearing this?_ She wondered as she looked at the sleeves, which were too long for her arms and almost covered the tips of her fingers. _This is Naru's…_

"It's not your fault, don't be so hard on yourself." He said as he laid her back on the bed. "You rest there a while and I'll pack." He said as he released her got to his feet. Mai pulled the blankets up and inhaled lightly, breathing in Naru's scent. His duvet smelled of the same light cologne he always wore that complemented his natural scent nicely and made Mai feel slightly light headed. She turned on her side and watched as he pulled black clothes from his wardrobe and draws, _I wonder why he only wears black…he isn't…in mourning is he?_ She wondered sadly, hoping that he wasn't carrying something so painful by himself. She watched as he pulled out a black turtleneck top and looked at it, _he wore that the day he fell down the well with me. _She thought fondly as he glanced at her, smiling slightly when she blushed. She watched as he lowered the top back towards the draw,

"Naru? You should take that one along…it looks good on you…" she said as she peered over the top of the duvet.

"Alright, but if I fall in another well in this top I'm blaming you." He replied with a smirk as he put the top in his case, which was almost identical to Mai's.

"It wasn't my fault! The ladder broke!" she replied defensively as she curled up guiltily as she remembered that Naru had collapsed soon after they were rescued and was taken to hospital.

"I know. I chose to grab you before you fell, and I also chose not to let go." He replied as he turned his back and rummaged through his drawers,

"What? But you said it was me who didn't let go of you." She said as she looked up.

"Well, it was a mixture of both…you didn't let go of me, but I didn't let go of you either." He replied. _So all this time he's been making me feel guilty and it's partly his fault…he's such a jerk sometimes._ She thought fondly as he knelt down and closed the case. "What?" he asked as he caught her staring.

"N-nothing!" she replied quickly, her face turning red, _that'll teach you to stare openly Mai-chan! Behave yourself!_ She scolded. "Hey, Naru? Why am I wearing one of your shirts?" she asked as she slowly sat up,

"Well, I did tell you you were sick. Most of it went on your top so I had to wash it." Naru replied as he got to his feet, "Unfortunately I don't have a tumble dryer, so it's on the clothes horse." He added as she blushed, _that's right, I never thought about how I got into the shirt! Naru's seen me half naked! But then, he has seen me like that before…_she thought in embarrassment.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"Now that you're awake do you want a drink? I'll get you one while you use the bathroom." He decided as he pointed to a door connected to his bedroom. Mai climbed out of the bed and looked down at herself; the shirt completely covered her skirt so she looked like she was wearing just a shirt and black over the knee socks. _Wow, this is an embarrassing new look._ She thought as she blushed, _I don't know why, but it seems kind of…kinky…must be the socks._ She decided as she walked to the bathroom. As she looked in the mirror she realised that Naru must have cleaned her up when he changed her because there was no evidence left to show that she had been sick. She quickly splashed her face with water and used a wet flannel to wipe her chest quickly, blushing at the thought of Naru wiping her chest gently with the same cloth. _That's as far as you go Mai-chan!_ She scolded as her mind wandered towards more inappropriate thoughts. She wandered back into the bedroom and lay on the bed, sighing as she closed her eyes, "If you throw up again I'm not cleaning it up." Naru warned mockingly as he sat down beside her. Mai's eyes snapped open and she sat up, gasping as she almost head butted Naru,

"I'm sorry." She said as she pulled back, "You scared me." she added sheepishly as Naru held out a steaming cup of tea to her. "Thank you." She said as she took the cup and sipped the hot liquid carefully, feeling the acid taste recede as she drank.

"So, did you see anything useful?" he asked as he raised his own cup to his lips and drank, looking at Mai inquiringly over the top.

"No, not yet, but I'm getting closer." She replied, only half lying. _I should tell him my theory…but I want to go and check it out first. I might learn something useful._ She thought, looking down at her cup rather than at Naru. "Have Lin-san and Monk-san been here yet?" she asked, changing the subject before Naru could ask more questions.

"I'm not sure. Lin and I don't live in the same apartment exactly. He has the room next door and he also has a key to this room, so to say we live together is not exactly accurate, but it's not inaccurate either." He replied as he put his empty cup on the small bedside table where Mai's soon joined it. _God, he's so close! I could actually just lean forward and kiss him…but maybe earlier was just a one off…maybe he really doesn't like me…maybe I shouldn't…_she thought as she looked at Naru, who was sitting beside her legs with his body twisted towards her, his blue eyes fixed on her brown, "N-Naru…about earlier…when we were by the well…was it just a spur of the moment thing? I mean, I don't mind if it was…never mind." She added as she looked down and blushed, _Mai! Why can't you just keep your mouth shut!_ She scolded, her eyes widening slightly as a gentle hand lifted her chin and Naru pressed his lips against hers softly,

"I don't make a habit of seducing women if that's what you mean." He purred as he leaned his head on her shoulder, his warm breath tickling her ear as his arms wrapped round her and he kissed her neck gently, smirking as she moaned lightly, her hands caressing his shoulders gently as her chest pressed into his instinctively. Naru leaned forward and laid her back on the bed gently, stretching his body over hers as he continued his assault on her neck, gently opening the first few buttons of the shirt. He felt her body stiffen slightly and nuzzled her cheek gently, "Don't worry, I don't think either of us are ready to go that far." He whispered gently, feeling her relax slowly as she raised a hand to touch his chest through his shirt, her fingers running lightly across the toned skin, making Naru shiver lightly at her innocent touch. He leaned down and kissed her lips gently, slipping his tongue into her mouth where it entangled with hers as his hands moved to hers. Mai broke off and gasped as Naru entwined their fingers and pinned her to the bed playfully, smirking as she tried to pull away,

"Um, Naru?" she said nervously as she looked up at him vulnerably.

"Hm?" he replied as he leaned down and kissed her neck, feeling her squirm beneath him slightly. "What? Do you like that?" he asked slyly as he kissed her neck again in the same place, feeling her squirm a little more as he lingered there,

"Naru!" Mai moaned as he kissed her neck again, _God he's good…how many women has he been with?_ She wondered, feeling a slight twinge in her chest as she thought of herself as another number on a long list, _and let's face it Mai, with his looks that would be a pretty long list…_she thought, _why do my thoughts always interrupt me?_

"What is it?" Naru asked as he noticed that she had stopped squirming. She looked up at him with a blush and shook her head,

"It's nothing…I was just thinking." She replied as she looked away,

"About what?" he asked as he leaned sideways to look at her face again, his grip on her hands loosening,

"H-how many…no, forget it." She decided quickly as she turned away, but Naru cupped her cheek gently with his hand and pulled her face back to him,

"What?" he asked again, noticing her sudden discomfort,

"How many women have you…been with?" she asked, seeing his eyebrows rise in surprise,

"Been with?" he asked in confusion,

"You know…done this sort of thing with." She replied in embarrassment, _this has to be the most awkward conversation I've ever had!_ She thought, her own eyes widening as Naru blushed slightly, turning away to try and hide it,

"Actually…you're the first." He replied awkwardly,

"What? But then…how do you know where to…" she trailed off as she blushed,

"Well, judging by how you reacted I guessed you liked it, so I just carried on." He replied as he turned back to her, "How about you?" he teased, seeing her blush deepen as she shook her head,

"I haven't either…" she replied,

"Well then, looks like we're both beginners." He said as he leaned back to her neck, gasping as he felt himself being pushed over and found Mai on top of him, her fingers working shyly at the top buttons of his shirt to expose his neck and collarbone. Mai blushed slightly as she leaned down and kissed his jaw line to his neck, nipping lightly at the soft skin where his neck met his shoulder. She heard him groan lightly and kissed the area again before working her way slowly around the collarbone, hearing a slightly louder groan when she reached the other side of his neck, where she lingered a while, kissing and licking the skin gently as his hands rose to her back and slid beneath her shirt to caress the skin there gently. Mai leaned up and kissed his lips gently, slipping her tongue into his mouth gently, exploring it hesitantly; forcing a groan from his lips, his hips rising into hers. She blushed as she felt his erection dig into her thigh,

"That's not your wallet is it?" she said nervously as her face reddened. She saw Naru smirking as he sat up and Mai straddled his hips, kneeling on the bed as his face rose to hers, his arms still wrapped around her back,

"I keep my wallet in my back pocket." He replied as he kissed her lips gently, _I know I saw him naked earlier, but I really didn't look at the time…it feels big…really big…_she thought nervously as Naru smirked at her seductively, making her blush even more "I didn't think it possible for a human to turn that shade of red." He mocked, feeling her slap his arm, "Violent aren't we?" he added, "Come on, we should get back." He sighed as he looked at his watch over her shoulder. Mai nodded, her throat feeling very dry suddenly as she climbed off Naru and onto the floor, where she slipped her shoes on, unable to look at Naru as he got up, "Are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you." He said as he got up and ran a hand through his messed up hair.

"N-no, you didn't do anything." She replied, blushing again as she turned away from him, trying to ignore the warm feeling between her legs and the urge to push him back on the bed and pick up where they left off. She felt Naru's arms wrap round her and felt his lips on her neck again,

"It's alright… I told you, neither of us are ready for that yet." He assured gently as he let his hands trail up and down her waist, his fingers lightly massaging her hips. "Come on…we should go." He added as he pulled away and lifted his suitcase. Mai ran her fingers through her hair and followed him out of his room and into the corridor, where there were three other rooms, two opposite and one next door,

"Well, fancy meeting you here." Monk-san said as he leaned round the door with a smirk, "You know, when we were in Lin-san's room I'm sure I heard some strange noises coming from your place Naru…I hope you two haven't been up to anything…improper." He teased, backing into Lin's room as Naru glared,

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was me. I was sick a while ago, that's what you must have heard…hence the shirt." She replied as she held up her arm, which was drowning in Naru's shirt sleeve, watching as Monk-san's expression changed from gleeful to worried as he reached out and put a hand on her forehead gently,

"I'm sorry, are you alright? Do you want to go home and lie down?" he asked as he fussed over her. Mai smiled and stepped back,

"Oh, no, I'm fine now…must have been something I ate." She replied brightly, "Anyway, we'll meet you back at Fai's place." She added quickly as Naru headed for the stairs at the end of the hall. Mai followed Naru down the stairs and out through the main door into a fairly nice part of the town about fifteen minutes away from the SPR offices. She turned and looked up at the five-storey apartment block, _wow, these are a lot shorter than most…the rooms must be quite expensive too._ She thought as she followed Naru to the van and climbed in. "Hey, we should hurry back, I don't like the look of that sky." Mai said as Naru buckled his seatbelt and joined her in looking up at the almost black clouds.

"I agree." He replied as he started the engine and turned the headlights on in the quickly dimming light. Mai looked around and saw Monk-san's car parked on the opposite side of the road,

"I hope they make it before the snow starts." She said worriedly as Naru pulled away from the apartments,

"I'm sure Monk-san is more than capable." He replied, "And he has Lin with him." he added, at which Mai nodded,

"You're right. Monk-san may be a little…childish sometimes, but he's not irresponsible and Lin-san will keep him in line." She agreed, "How about John? Do you think he'll be back yet?" she asked as they drove through the empty streets. _It feels so strange to have no other cars on the road, and there's not even one person in the street._ She thought as she shivered, but she was sitting on her coat, so she waited for the heat to start coming from the radiator. Naru glanced at her as she rubbed her arms and turned the heat up,

"Well, John said he'd be back within an hour, so he should have been back just over two hours ago." He replied as they reached a main highway, which was clear of cars, _wow, people really must have listened to that report earlier._ She thought as she sat back comfortably and looked out of the window as the snow began to fall again. "Damn, this is going to be bad." Naru said as he sat up a little more in his seat and concentrated more on the road. After a short while the snow was a blizzard, almost completely blocking their view of the road. Naru had slowed the car down to only fifteen miles per hour and both of them were peering out, trying to see through the snow.

"Maybe we should stop for a while." Mai suggested as they turned a corner slowly,

"No. If we stop we'll be stuck all night, maybe longer. This doesn't look like it's going to stop. I just hope Monk-san and Lin decided to stop at the apartment." He replied. Mai nodded in agreement as she peered forward.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

* * *

"Ah, isn't that the gate to Fai's?" she asked as she pointed ahead where Naru could just make out some caste iron gates. He pulled up to them and stopped, "I'll go to the intercom." She said as she opened the door and hopped out before Naru could argue. She shivered as her feet touched the ground and the snow surrounded her, almost blinding her. She stumbled over to the silver box and pressed the button,

"_Hello?_" a voice said at the other end.

"John? Is that you? It's Mai, can you open the gate?" she shouted over the roaring wind,

"_Mai? Of course! Hold on a minute…okay, you're all clear._" John replied. Mai ran back to the van and closed the door, shivering and rubbing her bare thighs as the gates began to open.

"Idiot. You should have let me go." Naru said as he started forwards through the gates. Mai poked her tongue out at him and went back to shivering, too cold to argue about it. "You should be cold more often, I could get used to the quiet." He added, smirking as she slapped his arm,

"Not funny!" she replied firmly with a childish pout, ignoring Naru's smirk as he drove up the driveway to the house, where John and Fai were waiting at the door. As they parked John hopped down the steps to the back of the van, where Naru met him. Mai hopped out, grabbing her coat before she closed the door and ran up the steps into the house where she stood shivering, hopping up and down as she wrapped her arms around herself,

"Cold?" Fai asked with a smile as he handed her a thick blanket, which Mai took gratefully and wrapped around her shoulders,

"Freezing, thank you." She replied as Naru and John entered the house, where they dropped the case by the door before Fai handed them each a blanket. "Don't ask." Mai said as John looked at her and opened his mouth to speak,

"She's had a bit of a rough day." Naru added as Fai led them towards the living room, his blanket almost trailing along the floor as he walked.

"I hope it wasn't too traumatic." Fai said as he looked over his shoulder worriedly,

"No, I'm fine." She replied quickly,

"Good. I'll get you a warm drink…hot chocolate?" he asked as they sat down, Mai and Naru on a sofa and John in a chair with his legs curled up beneath him.

"That sounds nice, thank you." She replied,

"Is that alright with everyone else?" he asked, receiving nods from both men. "I'll be right back." He added as he left the room,

"Do you need help?" John asked as he made to get up,

"Not at all, you stay where you are." Fai replied as Mai pulled her legs up onto the sofa and shifted closer to Naru, who subtly put his arm round her back and let her lean on his shoulder slightly, _why are we being so secretive? I feel like a schoolgirl…well, I am a schoolgirl, but it's almost like we're doing something wrong and trying not to get caught._ She thought in amusement as she ran a hand down Naru's thigh, pulling it back as John turned his head, holding her breath to keep from laughing. She felt Naru shift and looked up at him to see him smirking,

"That was childish." He whispered as he leaned down to her ear, giving it a quick nip as John turned away again. Mai smirked and checked on John, who had lifted a book from the arm of the chair and opened it, his eyes moving slowly across the page. She looked back at Naru and gently stroked his chest, letting her hand move down his stomach and just past the belt of his trousers when she felt his body stiffen slightly, she then pulled her hand back and checked on John, who was still in his book. As she looked back at Naru he leaned forward and kissed her, moving the hand from her back up to her neck to hold her there. He tilted her head back slightly as he leaned in further, deepening the kissed as his tongue entered her mouth, pulling back quickly as the door opened and Fai walked in, leaving Mai dazed.

"Mai, are you alright?" Fai asked as he leaned down with a tray,

"Yes…just a little tired…I might have an early night tonight." She added, mentally kicking herself, _don't say that! It sounds suggestive! Well…I suppose it a little…_she thought as she glance at Naru, who was hiding his smirk behind his cup as he looked at Mai, who quickly looked down at her cup to hide her blush,

"Taking me to bed early are you?" he mocked quietly, chuckling quietly as her body stiffened and her face reddened. _Why is he always mocking and taunting me? What if Fai and John catch on?_ She thought, _why does that matter?_

"Oh, Mai, I heard from Masako. She's still out of town, but she said she'd try and make it back in time for the ball on Saturday, and Ayako called to let us know she'll be back some time later in the week and she'll also be at the ball if we don't see her before." John reported with a smile as he held his cup between his hands, leaving the book on the arm of the chair,

"That's great John! You can ask Masako to dance with you." She added, seeing his small blush as he lowered his head,

"No…she wouldn't want to." He replied with a sad look in his eyes,

"Why not? You're a really nice guy John…if she won't, I will." She replied cheerfully, seeing John's mood lift, "And I bet there will be other girls coming who will want to dance with you too." She added,

"Yes, I have quite a few associates with daughters, and my cousins too." Fai chipped in. "I also have many male cousins that I'm sure will like you Mai." He added, smiling as Mai blushed,

"Was there any activity while we were away?" Naru asked, changing the subject quickly.

"No, maybe John's exorcism weakened the spirit?" Fai suggested.

"It is possible, but it doesn't always happen that way…my guess is that Mai wasn't in the house and the only one here was Fai, and then me as well." John replied.

"I agree." Naru replied thoughtfully. "But if the spirit is connected to Mai, then why did the activity start before we arrived?" he wondered aloud.

"Oh! I've just had a thought. I remember reading about an incident at a high school just before all this started actually, it was where I heard about your organisation…what was it called?" Fai wondered as he sat down and looked into his cup thoughtfully. Mai glanced at Naru, who wore a calm expression as he looked at Fai,

"Was it Ryokuryou High School?" he asked. At this Fai looked up and nodded,

"Yes, that was it. I remember, there was a picture of the school and I saw Mai in it. One of my maids also read it and commented on how much she looked like Mika. The next day is when these instances began to occur." He replied, "I'm sorry, I should have thought of this before, but I just didn't think about it." He apologised as he looked guiltily at Mai, who gave a warm smile,

"It's alright, you didn't know." She replied.

"Fai. Was it at about this time that you began to have blank spots in your mind?" Naru asked.

"Now that you mention it yes, I would often go to bed and find myself standing in the corridor or be in the kitchen and then in the living room, I thought it was just my memory playing tricks on me, or at least, that's what I'd hoped, but why?" he replied edgily as Naru got to his feet and placed his cup on the table before walking around the room.

"You are being possessed by one of the spirits in this house. That is why all these blank spots in your memory have occurred." He replied, "Now that we know this Mai, it might be safer for you to leave. The spirit is after you." He continued as he stopped in front of Mai and looked down at her,

"Even if I could leave you know that I wouldn't. Besides, the spirit attacked you too." She argued.

"Alright, but only because right now I have no other choice. John, be ready to perform an exorcism at any time…I really don't like not having Lin and Monk-san here, it leaves us more or less defenceless…we'll have to hope that the spirit is still too weak to act." Naru decided as he looked between John and Mai.

"_Hey, is anyone there?_" Monk-san's voice shouted from a speaker in the hall. John got to his feet and ran into the hall, closely followed by Fai. Mai took that time to sidle closer to Naru and lean on him slightly,

"What's going on here? What is he searching for?" Naru wondered aloud.

"The answer to that is clear isn't it? Mika. He's searching for Mika." Mai replied, but Naru shook his head,

"No, not Eishi. Tohru. What is he searching for? Why is he here?" Naru replied,

"What? But I thought that all of the men attacked looked like Tohru. Why would Tohru attack people that looked like him? Surely he would attack men like Fai." She argued as she looked up at Naru's contemplative face.

"True, but Eishi would not have raped or harassed all of those women, remember he loved Mika above all others. If she had told him to stop he would have stopped." Naru replied, at which Mai nodded in agreement and looked at the darkened window, _he's right, but in that case why did Tohru come back? He killed Mika and Eishi, surely there's nothing here for him…unless…_

"Naru, could he have come back to stop us?" Mai asked,

"No…but he might have come back to stop Eishi. If Eishi finds Mika then it's over, Eishi has won. Tohru can't let that happen." He replied,

"So all we have to do is find Mika and reunite her with Eishi and it will be over?" Mai asked hopefully as she looked at Naru eagerly,

"I don't know…it will lay Eishi's soul to rest, and Mika's, but as for Tohru, I can't say." He replied thoughtfully. Mai sighed in disappointment,

"Well, at least it will help two of them." She thought aloud as she looked out of the window, but it was no longer dark. There was a light figure in it looking at her in contempt, a figure in black. Mai clutched Naru's sleeve fearfully as she looked at it,

"Mai?" he asked as he took her hand,

"He's here! He's coming!" she whispered fearfully as the figure began walking towards her. "Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu zai zen!" Mai shouted as she moved her hands in vertical and horizontal lines. The dark figure paused and looked at her, his eyes darkening in fury. Mai looked at him in determination and began the process again, "Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu zai zen!" she shouted, watching in relief as the figure fled.

"Mai! Are you alright?" Naru asked as she slumped on him,

"I'm fine, just relieved." She replied. "I guess that ward Ayako taught me finally came in handy." She added with a weak smile.

"Ayako would be proud." Naru replied as he helped Mai to sit up,

"What happened?" Monk-san asked as he burst through the door.

"It was Tohru, but he's gone now." Mai replied.

"Don't tell me you finally did something right." Monk-san teased proudly, receiving a light punch to the stomach from Mai as he sat next to her and ruffled her hair,

"I guess I just panicked and used Ayako's ward." She replied.

"You mean it worked?" he joked.

"Monk-san, John, Mai. Tomorrow you and Fai will search the gardens for Mika. We have to find the body. Lin and I will check the books in the library and the diaries in the study's to see if we can find which spell is being used to tie Mika to her body. If we can do this then we can set her free. At that point we will only have one spirit to contend with." Naru instructed,

"Yeah, one angry spirit." Monk-san added thoughtfully. "John, do you think you could purify this house?" he asked as he turned to John, who was standing beside the sofa,

"I could, but that would merely displace the spirit. The best thing to do would be to bind it to something and put it somewhere no one would ever go, but that is not something that I am capable of." He replied regretfully,

"I am." Lin said. "Find something that belonged to him and I can bind him to it." He continued. Naru nodded in agreement,

"This is the best course of action. We will start with Mika and Eishi. Once they are gone it may be easier to deal with Tohru, but while Eishi is attacking us we cannot safely deal with Tohru." He said, to which he received multiple nods of agreement. "Monk-san, I want you to place wards around the bedrooms, they may not be enough to stop them, but they may slow them down." He added. Monk-san got to his feet and pulled some charms from his back pocket,

"I'm way ahead of you Naru-chan." He replied with a wink as he left the room to place the wards.

"John, go with him. Until now the spirits haven't attacked, but if Monk-san places wards it may provoke them into action." Naru ordered, at which John nodded in agreement and ran after Monk-san.

"I do hope no one gets hurt…" Fai said worriedly as he looked out of the darkened window, where the snow was still falling.

* * *

"Naru?" Mai whispered quietly as she lay next to him. She waited, but there was no answer, he was asleep. Slowly Mai rolled over and pulled the covers back, standing slowly so that she didn't disturb him. She looked down at Naru's peaceful form and smiled, _he looks so innocent when he's sleeping._ She thought, _I'm sorry Naru, but I have to go._ She added as she tiptoed away from the bed to the door. She pulled the door open quietly and stepped into the hall, heading for the stairs quickly and running down them to the front door, where she slipped into her shoes and pulled on her coat before heading to the back door. _That's part one over, now for part two._ She thought as she opened the back door and stepped out into the cold blizzard.

Shivering she headed in the general direction of Mika's garden, though in the snow she wasn't sure if she was going in the right direction. _I hope I can get there and back without freezing to death…maybe this wasn't such a good idea._ She thought as she felt her feet go numb, followed by her fingertips. _I've never known a winter so bad!_ She complained inwardly as she shivered and stumbled down the garden path, which was covered by five inches of snow already.

_Is that the well?_ She wondered as she peered through the flurry of snow into the darkness, _it's so dark! What was I thinking coming out here without a torch!_ She scolded inwardly as she walked forward towards the dark shape in the distance. As she got closer she saw that it was the well, _alright! I made it!_ She thought excitedly.

As she reached the edge of the well she leaned over and looked down. The top of the well was covered by a small wooden roof structure so there wasn't much snow inside the well, but as she looked down it was so dark she couldn't see a thing. _I have to lean closer!_ She thought as she leaned over the edge, her stomach resting on the stone edge,

"Hello? Is there anyone down there? Please! Answer me! Try as hard as you can! I know you're stuck, but I need your help to find you!" Mai shouted at the top of her voice into the well, knowing somehow that there was someone down there. Mai closed her eyes and concentrated on listening, listening for anything, a voice, a splash, a knock, anything at all.

"Help me! Please don't leave me here! Eishi!" a voice cried. It sounded so far away, but Mai could just hear it. It was a woman's voice, a voice similar to Mai's, a voice that Mai knew.

"Mika! Hold on! I'll get you out! I promise!" Mai shouted, looking down into the well as if the darkness would disappear to reveal Mika standing there looking up at her, but it didn't, it remained dark.

"Who's there? Is it you Eishi?" the voice asked hopefully. Mai looked down feeling a rush of pity for the woman. _Does she know she's dead? _She wondered,_ yes, she has to! She's been waiting for years; she knows that Eishi must be dead by now too!_ She realised.

"No! My name is Mai! But I want to take you to Eishi! Please hold on!" Mai replied as she looked down.

"You're ruining my plans." A dark voice said. Mai gasped and turned to see Naru, but as she looked into his eyes she knew it wasn't Naru looking at her through those eyes. Mai raised her hands to chant her protective wards, but Naru's hand shot forward and hit her chest, pushing her back over the edge of the well. _No! Naru!_ Mai cried inwardly as she fell, screaming out his name.

"Mai!" Naru cried as he grabbed her ankle. Mai felt her descent stop and looked back to see Naru leaning over gripping her ankle, _Naru? But what happened to Tohru?_ She wondered briefly as she hung there. She felt Naru trying to pull her back, but then lurch forward, her weight too much for him to bear,

"Naru let go! You'll fall in too!" she cried as she looked up, barely able to see the strain on his face through the darkness.

"No! I'm not going to let go!" replied stubbornly, trying again to pull her back with both hands. Mai tried to find a hand hold on the well wall to help him, but couldn't, and once again she felt the lurch,

"Naru! You can't hold me! Let go!" Mai shouted trying to move her foot to make Naru release her.

Mai no! Stop!" Naru shouted as he leaned over the edge. Mai stopped as she realised Naru was slipping, but felt his grip weakening. _Damn it Naru! Let me go! Please! I don't want you to get hurt because of me again!_ She cried inwardly. She felt Naru pull her back once more, before there was a final lurch and she was falling again, but the hand on her ankle never let go as she fell. _Naru…you idiot!_ She thought.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

I'd just like to thank you all for your patience, I've finally started writing this fic again and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.

If there are any Yu-Gi-Oh fans here I have posted a story call 'A repeat of the past' and if there are Hellsing fans i have posted one called 'The assassin of justice' so if you like my writing style you can check them out ;-) enough from me, enjoy.

* * *

"Mai…Mai, wake up!" Naru's voice cried. Mai opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying in the sun on the grass on a spring day. Sitting up she saw Naru kneeling beside her and looking to the well she saw the blood stained grass where Mika had been. "Come on, you have to see this." Naru said urgently as he pulled Mai to her feet and pulled her with him towards the well, where he jumped onto the edge, waiting for Mai to climb up beside him.

"What are we doing?" Mai asked in confusion as Naru looked down the well.

"We have to go down there." Naru replied as he made ready to jump down the well. Mai crouched on the edge of the well and then looked at Naru,

"Are you crazy? We'll get hurt if we…" se trailed off, _oh my god! Naru and I just fell down there! I have to go back! _She thought in a panic,

"Mai! You have to see this if you want to get out and solve the case." Naru insisted. Mai looked down the well and then nodded, _he's right…if this will stop Tohru then it's worth a shot…I just hope the real Naru's alright…_she decided as she jumped into the well with Naru. The descent into the well was fast, but seemed to take a lot longer as Mai looked down to the darkness below. _Oh my god! I'm going to die! I was crazy jumping like this!_ She thought as she gripped Naru's hand as tightly as she could, too terrified to even scream.

"Don't worry, nothing can harm you here!" Naru assured loudly over the rush of wind in their ears, his voice echoing slightly on the stone walls. Finally the reached the bottom of the well, but rather than slamming into the ground painfully as Mai expected her descent stopped and her feet lightly touched the frozen base of the well where the little water that remained had turned to ice. "Come on." Naru encouraged as he pulled her towards the wall of the well, though she didn't know what he was looking for. The well was small; it probably would have fitted five people in it, but no more. Naru examined the wall carefully, running his hands lightly over the stones until he found what he was looking for. Mai watched curiously as he pushed with all his might on the stone and a doorway appeared. A large doorway shaped section of wall was turning and once if was large enough for a person to squeeze through Naru stopped. "Come on." He said as he pulled Mai through the gap behind him. On the other side of this doorway was a long dark passageway, which gave Mai shivers as she looked down it.

"Naru, why is there a passage here?" she asked nervously as she looked around in the darkness, goose bumps prickling her skin. Naru pushed the doorway back into place before turning back to her,

"This was a sort of spillway. This tunnel will lead to a chamber, which will then have another passage leading towards the river, but that passage will have a grate over the tunnel. It was a rare thing, but this well had a doorway like gap so that should the well ever get too full someone could be sent into it from the chamber, which would be hidden somewhere. That person would climb down a ladder into the chamber and walk to the doorway. They would inch the door open a little, only a little, before running back to the chamber and climbing the ladder as quickly as possible. The metal grate would stop that person being washed out to sea and drowned, though they would sometimes die anyway." He explained as they walked through the dark passage,

"But how would they get washed out to sea? You said they only opened the door a little bit before running back to the chamber." Mai asked, forgetting her surroundings as she became lost in the discussion,

"Well, lots of things could happen. The man may trip on his way back and the water could catch up, he may open to door too much, but mainly it is the fact that as the door was opened the pressure of the water on the other side would force the door open faster and the water would sometime catch up with the runner. The metal grate would stop the man being washed away so he could find the ladder and climb to safety." He replied, their footsteps echoing lightly as they walked. Mai imagined a torrent of water suddenly erupting through the doorway and knocking them both down, cutting of their air supply and looked over her shoulder anxiously, _come on Mai, pull yourself together! The water level was too low for that, and it was frozen!_ She scolded inwardly.

"Why are we in here anyway?" Mai asked as she saw an ending to the tunnel, where there was a dim light inside, and a strange noise that sounded like chanting, but Mai didn't recognise the language at all, it didn't even sound like Lin's Chinese chants. Beside her Naru quickened his pace, making Mai jog slightly to keep up.

"Because to solve the case, and get you out of here, you need to see this." Naru replied as they hurried to the entrance, where Mai gasped in horror as she looked at what Tohru was doing. Mika's still bleeding body had been chained to the wall, her body surrounded by a circle of her own blood, _well, not exactly a circle, it's around her on the floor and then up the wall, more like…an outline._ Mai corrected as she shifted her gaze to Tohru, who had pulled dark red robes over his normal clothes and held a battered leather book. As Mai looked closer she realised that the robes were red because they had been repeatedly stained with blood, Mika's was still wet and fresh on places, making Mai gag and clamp her hands over her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. Looking at the book she saw there were bloodstains on the pages, and those pages were tattered from age and use. Mai stepped closer and looked over Tohru's shoulder, the writing where it wasn't obscured by blood, was foreign to her, she knew a small amount of Chinese, but this was definitely nothing like any language she had ever seen, _what if Lin-san can't read this? What will we do?_ She wondered helplessly as she took in her surroundings. Tohru had put candles in a sort of semi circle that surrounded both him and Mika's body, which, Mai noticed in horror, was glowing slightly. Mai looked on in horror as Mika's spirit appeared and tried to escape, screaming in terror and futility as it was drawn back into the body, not reaching out any further than the outline of blood. Tohru threw some sort of water at Mika's body, and Mai gasped as she realised it was blood.

"He's binding her with her own blood?" Mia wondered aloud in horror,

"No Mai." Naru replied as he appeared at her side, making her jerk in surprise. _I can't believe I forgot he was here…_she thought distractedly as she looked around further and saw a long delicate blood stained knife beside the small bowl that had once held the blood, blood, Mai realised, which had leaked from a cut in Tohru's right hand, which was wrapped now in a piece of Mika's kimono, which he had ripped from the garment. Tohru's chants became louder and faster as Mika's spirit screamed and thrashed as if the blood were burning her and then the candles suddenly went out and Mika's body was still, the spirit gone, trapped within the corpse. Tohru sagged gasping on his knees; bracing himself on the ground with his hands, sweat dripping from his forehead. _Whatever he did must have used a lot of energy,_ Mai thought curiously leaning over to get a better view of the book as he closed it, and as he closed it Mai gasped, seeing a bleeding skull engraved in blood red on the black leather cover.

* * *

"Mai! Mai are you alright?" Naru's voice cried urgently as he shook her shoulders. Mai opened her eyes groggily, registering pain in her back, arms and legs as she tried to move, "Thank god, no, lie still for a few minutes" he added as she tied to sit up. Mai laid back obediently and sighed as she looked up at the bright circle of light above, _the well…that's right…we fell in…_she thought slowly as her vision adjusted to the darkness. She looked at Naru, who was sat beside her with one leg bent and the other outstretched, cradling his right arm.

"Naru, are you hurt?" she asked as she sat up, leaning on one arm as she looked questioningly as Naru, who gave something between a smile and a grimace,

"I'll live." He replied,

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault!" Mai cried as hot tears began to roll down her cheeks and her body convulsed with sobs. Naru pulled himself across the floor towards her and put an arm round her awkwardly,

"Mai, it's alright, don't worry, we'll get out of here somehow." He comforted. Mai gripped the front of his black turtleneck and sobbed into his chest, "Hm, this is the second time you've pulled me into a well while I've been wearing this top." He teased gently, smiling slightly as he heard Mai laugh.

"We should get out of here," she said as she sat up and wiped her eyes.

"Well, we're stuck until someone finds us, I can only hope at least Lin will think to look here." Naru replied as he lean back on his left arm and looked up,

"I know the way out, I saw it in my dream…and I know where she is, Mika, I know where Mika is." Mai replied in a rush as she got to her feet and went to the wall, examining it just as Naru had done earlier. _Now, how did he find it?_ She wondered as she ran her hands over the wall, feeling the rough rock beneath her hands until there was a thick gouge, which she followed round, _this is definitely it! _She thought as she traced the doorway.

"Mai? What are you doing?" Naru asked in confusion as she started pushing on wall of the well, "You didn't hit your head on the way down did you?" he added, raising an eyebrow at her as she repeatedly threw her weight against the rock.

"No! I-had a-dream this is-a doorway!" she replied as she threw herself against the rock, feeling it give a little. _Alright! I can do this; it's not so hard._ She thought, encouraging herself as she pushed on the heavy rock, _how did the runners manage this? It must have been even harder with water in here!_

"Good job Mai!" Naru congratulated. Mai turned back and wiped her brow on her sleeve feeling exhausted. She looked down at Naru and smiled,

"No worries…hey, are you okay? Can you stand?" she asked worriedly as she stepped forwards and held a hand down to him,

"I'm not sure, I'll try." He replied as he took Mai's proffered hand and used his left hand and left leg to get up, but he was unsteady, completely unable to put weight on his right leg, with his right arm still held to his chest. "You should leave me here, I'll just slow you down." He said as Mai pulled his left arm over her shoulder,

"No Naru, I'll help you! I can't do this by myself!" she replied, finding herself suddenly on the verge of tears as she remembered what was waiting for her in the next chamber. Naru sensed her distress and sighed in defeat,

"Alright, but I'm going to have to go slowly." He warned as he hopped towards the doorway, leaning heavily on Mai, who was sagging under his weight, "Sorry." He apologised as he looked down at her strained face,

"No problem…how did you get hurt so badly? I just felt like I'd fallen down a steep hill, but you came off so much worse, and I was falling before you, I thought you'd land on top of me for sure." She asked as they passed through the doorway. Once on the other side Mai left Naru leaning uneasily on the wall while she closed the doorway.

"I was going to fall on you. As we fell I let go of your ankle and threw my arm out to the side of the well to change my angle so that I didn't hurt you, but when my arm hit the wall it didn't work, I just hurt my arm, so I tried with my leg and twisted away from you…then I hit the ground. I woke up a few moments before you did." He replied as she left the door and returned to him, once again supporting his weight on her shoulder.

"So it was my fault you got hurt!" she said guiltily as she looked up at him,

"No, no it's not! I chose not to fall on top of you, you had nothing to do with it!" He replied firmly,

"But if I hadn't come out here then none of this would have happened!" she argued,

"Well…that is true, but it doesn't matter now!" he said as they walked through the darkness, unable to see anything. Mai walked with one arm around Naru's waist and the other on the wall as a guide while Naru gripped her shoulder as he hopped beside her. After a walking for what seemed like hours, neither of them talking, Mai's hand reached the edge of the tunnel.

"This is it! This is the chamber!" she said in relief as Naru leaned on the wall. "I'm not sure if there will be a ladder here. In my dream the ladder had been thrown down from above…I wonder why there wasn't a metal ladder built into the walls…" she wondered aloud as she walked around the wall feeling for a rope, but also very conscious of the fact she was near Mika's corpse.

"I think I know, I was reading about it in a book up at the house. These wells were sometimes used for execution purposes, not legal executions either. There were chains fixed into the walls to hold the guilty away from the runners." Naru replied as he looked in the general direction he thought Mai's voice came from, though the echoing and her constant moving made this somewhat unpredictable.

"That explains how the chains got there." Mai muttered as she reached along the wall, now slipping her foot forward carefully so that she didn't stand on Mika. Feeling something with her foot Mai gasped, _oh my god, I'm touching a corpse!_ She thought cringingly as she felt around Mika with her foot, her hands touching the chains as she passed. Eventually she found her self back with Naru, "There's no ladder!" she said in a panic, "How are we going to get out?" she wondered worriedly as she looked at Naru, who she knew must be feeling weak and ill, _please don't collapse! If you have to do it then please wait until we get out of here!_ She begged inwardly.

"The grate…it's iron right? It might have rusted…go and check." He said, his voice wavering and weak. Mai saw him sag slightly against the wall, his eyes drooping slightly.

"Naru!" she cried as he slid down the wall. Mai grabbed him beneath the arms as he fell and gently lowered him to the ground where he rested with his back against the wall, his eyes half closed. Naru! Please don't…" she cried,

"Mai…the grate…" he ordered. Mai wiped her wet eyes and nodded,

"Right." She replied as she got to her feet and worked her ways around to the grate. Once she was there she grabbed the bars and pushed them, feeling around the edges for weak points, or what she thought may be weak points. "I can't tell if it's weakened or not!" she called as she pushed and pulled the bars with all her might, feeling them give slightly, "Yes! It's working!" she cried as she continued pushing the grate, which was about the size of the doorway, until it fell with a resounding clang. "Naru!" Mai cried as she worked her way back to him and knelt to see his eyes closed. "Naru! Please!" she cried as she shook him.

"Mmm…Mai…" he groaned as his eyes edged open and he looked at her.

"Naru…come on, we have to go." She said gently as she tried to pull him up,

"No…leave…you'll be faster alone…I'll be alright…" he assured, but Mai shook her head,

"No Naru! I'm not leaving! If you don't go, I don't go." She stated firmly.

"You're my employee. I'm telling you to go!" Naru snapped, glaring as much as he could in his weakened state.

"Fine then! I quit! Now get up!" she cried as she tired again to get him up, but he was too heavy. Mai fell to her knees and clutched the chest of his top, leaning on his chest as she cried, "Naru…please…" she sobbed, feeling a gentle hand on her arm. Looking up she saw Naru's face inches from hers before he captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Mai clutched his top tighter as she melted into the kiss, losing herself for a moment and forgetting the trouble they were in.

"Mai…I can't go with you…I can barely keep my eyes open…I guess I was more wounded by that fall than I thought." Naru said as they broke apart.

"Try Naru! Please try!" she begged. Naru closed his eyes a moment, a moment in which Mai feared he had lapsed into unconsciousness again, but then Mai felt him gripping her shoulder with his uninjured arm and she pulled him to his feel, bracing him on her shoulder as she took almost all of his weight. "Hold on, I'll get you out!" Mai assured as she half dragged Naru towards the grate, trying to keep a pace that was both slow enough for him, but quick enough to make progress. The tunnel was exactly the same as the last, but much much longer and as she walked she felt Naru getting heavier and heavier. "Naru, are you okay?" she asked in concern, pausing to look at him.

"I'll be fine…we have to keep moving." He replied quietly. Mai nodded and started moving again, trying to move a little faster to see if he could keep up. He could it seemed so she kept going at a normal walking pace. Looking ahead she saw the tunnel getting slightly lighter,

"Look Naru! Light!" Mai cried excitedly as they moved forwards. As the light got brighter Mai could just make out the sky and some trees, though after hours of darkness the light hurt for a while. Once they reached the edge of the tunnel Mai looked out onto a river, a frozen river luckily. She looked in both directions and could see what looked like a main road. "Naru, come on, we're going with way." She said as she carefully stepped onto the frozen river, supporting Naru carefully, hoping that the ice would hold. After a few minutes they reached the road and Mia looked around, _I have no idea where we are! How am I going to get Naru somewhere he can get help?_ She wondered, knowing that the chances of a car driving by were slim, and the chances that the car would stop were slimmer still. "Naru, you stay here. I'll be right back okay? Try to stay awake." She said gently as she lowered Naru to the ground. Naru nodded weakly and sat unsteadily on the roadside with nothing to lean back on. Mai walked a little way down the road, looking for road signs or houses in the distance. After a few minutes without any luck she headed back to find an old couple looking down at Naru in concern,

"Are you alright lad?" the old woman asked kindly as she bent over him. The old man puffed on his pipe and held tightly to the lead of a small white westie, which seemed just as concerned as it's owners as it sniffed Naru's outstretched leg.

"Excuse me! Do you know where we can get help?" Mai asked, shivering as she realised just how cold it was. "Please, he needs a hospital!" Mai cried as tears began leaking from her eyes,

"My dear, it's alright. You come with us; our house is just down here. We can call an ambulance and get you warmed up." She soothed as she put an arm round Mai's shoulder.

"Oh thank you, thank you so much!" Mai replied in relief as she sank down beside Naru and tried to coax him to his feet. She managed to get him halfway before he began to fall,

"Easy now." The old man, who must have been at least fifty-five, said as he braced Naru's other side. "This way dear." He added as they walked back the way Mai had come from. "What happened to you? You look like you've had a rough time of it," He asked as they walked along, the old woman now walking with the dog, which still seemed most concerned.

"Well, we were up at Fai Tanaki's mansion. We were called in to investigate a problem he's been having and we fell down a well, which came out by the river. We've been out all night." She replied. "The others must be terribly worried…" she thought, feeling troubled as she imagined Monk-san's frantic search, John's worried looks and Lin's silent fear, as well as Fai, who Mai thought more likely to react like Monk-san than either of the others.

"Don't worry dear, as soon as we get inside you can use our phone to call your friends." the old woman assured. "What is your name dear?" she asked as she looked over the shoulder of her thick blue coat,

"Oh, I'm Mai, and this is Naru-I mean Kazuya." She corrected quickly, receiving a warm smile from the old woman,

"Well, Mai-san I am Iola, and this is my husband Ming." She replied, "And this," she continued as the small dog at her feet yapped in apparent indignation at being left out, "Is Yuko." She said looking at the dog, which now seemed contented. Mai smiled down at the dog as they walked and as she looked up there was a small cottage on the roadside, which they headed towards and once there the old woman opened the door and ushered them into the house. "Put him down here dear." The woman said as she steered Mai, Naru and Ming towards the sofa, where they laid Naru comfortably as Iola brought in blankets for him. "Come dear, take that coat off." Iola said kindly, but as Mai unbuttoned it she remembered what she had been wearing when she went down to the well,

"Actually I'm quite cold, I think I'd better keep it on." She replied blushing, "Um, could I use your phone?" she asked quickly before Iola could object.

"Oh yes, of course. It's just through there on the right in the kitchen." She said as she pointed to a room behind Mai, which appeared to be the dining room. Turning right from there she saw the kitchen and walked inside, where she was a cordless phone. She picked it up and dialled at hospital to ask for an ambulance before calling the mansion and letting a very worried Fai know where they were.

"I'll tell you about it later, I don't want to run up a bill…if I don't see you before I'll meet you at the hospital." She said before hanging up and heading back into the living room, where Naru lay now soundly asleep, _was letting him sleep a good idea? He's lost some blood…and he may have hit his head…_she thought worriedly as she sat on the edge of the sofa, gently brushing his hair out of his face. Within a few minutes the ambulance had arrived and Naru was loaded into the back with Mai, who has a few cuts and bruises of her own and, finding that she had also fallen down the well, the paramedics insisted she get checked over.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

* * *

Mai sat in the waiting room wrapped securely in her coat, constantly looking for the others and waiting for news on Naru, who had been separated from her as soon as they arrived, being wheeled to an examination from before surgery she assumed. She had been treated for the small cuts and had her head checked for any damage, but she was fine. _Thanks to Naru, if he hadn't stopped himself from falling on me it would have been me getting wheeled into surgery…_she thought guiltily as she looked towards the doors Naru had been taken through.

"Mai!" a voice cried from the entrance and before Mai could get up she found herself in the tight embrace of Monk-san, whom she had only seen looking this worried on one occasion when she had tried to take on the spirits of Ryokuryou High School. "What happened? Are you alright? How's Naru?" he asked as he knelt down to her level, his hands comfortingly on her cheeks,

"Monk-san…it's all my fault!" Mai cried as she thrust herself into his chest, feeling is arms wrap around her securely. As she cried she told him everything that had happened to them.

"Mai…Mai, it's alright, everything will be fine." He soothed as she finished her story, still blaming herself and riddled with guilt.

"He's right Mai, here, I brought you some clothes." Fai agreed as he handed a bag to Mai. "You should go and change, and then you should get some sleep." He added as she took the bag. Inside were her chords and black top.

"Thank you." Mai sniffed as she took the bag and wiped her eyes.

"There's a rest room just there, go on, we'll call if a nurse comes with news." Monk-san assured as he pointed to a door with a ladies sign on it. Mai nodded and walked into the single room, which was obviously for the disabled since it was so big, _I'd better be quick just in case._ She thought as she pulled off her coat and night clothes and pulling on the things that Fai had brought, blushing slightly as she found the fresh underwear, _oh my god, he went through me underwear! Oh no! He might know my bra size!_ She thought in embarrassment, her face feeling very hot, and looking very red as she caught herself in the mirror. She waited a few moments for the colour to fade before going back to join Monk-san and Fai, who were now accompanied by Lin and John.

"Mai, I heard what happened, about Mika I mean. Do you remember anything specific?" Lin asked. Mai had been in such a rush when she spoke to Monk-san she had only told him about sneaking down to the well and her and Naru falling in and struggling through the tunnels, only briefly mentioning that she had seen Mika in a dream.

"Uh…yes, a lot actually, there was a," she began, but just as she was about to launch into an explanation about the chanting and the book, a female voice called form across the room.

"Mai Taniyama?" Mai turned and saw a nurse standing by the door to the wards looking around expectantly. Mai held up a hand and walked over, closely followed by the other four, "Taniyama-san, please follow me." she said, "Please wait, we would like only Taniyama-san for now." She added kindly to the others, who nodded and stayed back as Mai was led down a long corridor to a private room, where Naru was waiting propped up on his pillows, once again in white. Seeing him alive, let alone sitting up looking at her, was more than Mai had expected, and it showed as she ran to the edge of the bed and launched herself into his arms. Naru smiled, despite the pain, and held her, breathing in the light flower scent of her hair.

"I thought you were going to die!" she cried as she pulled back and looked up at him tearfully.

"To tell you the truth, there were times in those tunnels that I thought I might." He admitted,

"What's wrong?" she asked as she looked him over briefly.

"Surprisingly little. The knock on the head was what knocked me out and made me light-headed, my arm was fractured by the fall and my knee was sprained. I didn't lose much blood at all. I just need to spend the night here in case of concussion and have my fracture seen to. The sprain should be fine once I get moving around, shouldn't take more than a day to get back to normal." He replied, "Oh, and I did break two ribs in the fall, but those will heal in time." He added at Mai's looks of relief.

"I'm so glad." She said as she put her arms around him. "The others are here, shall I go get them?" she asked as she breathed in his scent, but Naru held her a little tighter,

"No…I just want to hold you for a while." He replied, moving over and pulling Mai gently onto the bed, where she curled up beside him and fell asleep with her head on his chest, hearing his breathing slow as she drifted off in the safety of his arms.

* * *

"Hey, Mai! Naru! You guys awake?" Monk-san asked as he knocked on the door. Mai groaned lightly and opened her eyes, looking up to see Naru stir and look down at her with his sapphire eyes, _he really does have…the most beautiful eyes…_she thought tiredly as Monk-san knocked again. Mai climbed off the bed and into the chair at the bedside.

"Yes, come in." Naru called, sitting up with a straight back and a neutral stare in place. Monk-san opened the door and entered, followed by Fai, John and Lin. "Let's continue our investigation. Mai, tell us about your dream and the instances before you left the house and after we fell, every single detail, miss nothing out." Naru ordered, glancing at her briefly as Lin handed him his laptop.

"Hey, Naru-chan, you sure you should be working so soon?" Monk-san asked in concern as the teen flipped the screen up and turned the laptop on.

"I am fine." He replied mechanically, typing in a password and waiting for the computer to start up.

"You did take a hit to the head Naru, maybe Monk-san's right…" Mai added worriedly as she looked at the boy clothes in white, accentuating the darkness of his hair, which she was dying to run her fingers though, _don't think like that Mia-chan! This is serious!_ She scolded, catching herself before she thought any further ahead.

"I assure you, my wounds were minor." He replied again, a flicker of warmth visible as he glanced at Mai, though only she had caught it. Mai smiled slightly in return and nodded as he turned back to his laptop. "Please begin." He said as he waited with his fingers poised above the keys. Mai re-told her tale in full; from the moment she left her room up until the old couple found them at the roadside.

"That is dark magic." Lin burst out, visibly shuddering at the thought. Mai's eyes widened slightly, she had never seen the tall, calm and collected man in this state, a look between dread and fear was in place of his usual emotionless mask, which rivalled Naru's at times.

"You know of it?" John asked, also quite disturbed by the older man's reaction.

"Oh yes, I know of it, and countering it is almost as difficult as casting it! We must not move the body until then. To do so would be to trap Mika's soul forever, and being bound in such a painful way, and in such a place…" he trailed off,

"What do you mean? She was already dead when she was bound, I didn't think ghosts would feel pain." Mai asked in confusion. Lin shook his head regretfully,

"Of many spirits this is true, they can be untouched by humans, but magic can hurt them, either destroying them, as you know, or binding them. This binding is like placing a ring of permanent fire around the body and fusing the spirit to the bones, but instead of the pain stopping once the soul is fused, it continues to ensure the curse cannot be broken. If the body is moved by a mortal from the circle then the curse is unbreakable, though a mortal may pass in and out of the circle as they please." He replied to Mai's unasked question, to which she was relieved since she had stepped into the circle while feeling her way around the wall. "I know of the counter curse, it will be in a book that I know an associate of mine has. I will contact him right away and have it sent over." Lin replied to Naru's thoughts before he left.

"Did anything happen in the mansion while we were gone?" Naru asked as he turned his attention to Monk-san.

"No, nothing. The first we knew that anything was wrong was waking up to find you two gone and starting a full-scale search." He replied quickly. Naru shifted his gaze to Fai,

"No, I remember everything and I was with John most of the time." He replied to the gaze.

"Very well. John and Fai, return to the mansion with Lin and assist him with preparations. Monk-san, wait with Mai until I have been discharged and can join you. We will then return to the mansion also." He ordered. There were many nods and yeses as people filed from the room, leaving only Mai and Naru once again.

"Naru, will Lin-san really be able to do it, will he really be able to free Mika? He looked so…I've never seen him like that." She said worriedly. Naru closed the laptop with a sigh,

"No…neither have I, though I have complete faith in his abilities as a spell caster. If anyone can break it, he can." Naru replied confidently,

"But what if he can't?" Mai asked.

"He will." Naru replied, not a trace out doubt in his voice or eyes.

* * *

Mai shivered as Fai led them down the garden to the chamber in which Mika was trapped. It was far away from Mika's small garden; in fact it seemed to be off Fai's land all together in the middle of a forest.

"Fai, is this still your land?" Mai asked as they walked through the snow. Fai, who had seemed distracted looked down at Mai and smiled,

"Yes, my father owned this land for many years, in fact this is where the wedding took place." He replied with gentle eyes. Mai smiled n return,

"It must have been wonderful, being married out here. When was it?" she asked, looking ahead to where Naru and Lin walked side by side with Monk-san hovering close by, all three whispering together.

"Oh, many years ago…I still remember the flowers, Mika always took pride in her flowers." He replied, _Mika? Did they take some of the flowers from her garden? Oh! Maybe she had another secret garden!_ Mai thought as she walked beside Fai, looking around at John, who seemed to be lagging.

"John, are you alright?" Mai asked as she and Fai stopped. John's eyes snapped up from the snowy ground to Mai's eyes as he was pulled suddenly from his thoughts.

"Oh yes, I'm fine Mai, just a little…preoccupied." He replied.

"With what?" Mai asked in concern as he caught up to them, walking between Mai and Fai,

"Oh, nothing important really! I was just…well…I was thinking about Masako. I hope her plane was alright, I mean, we've had some terrible storms, and there will be ice on the runways, and strong blizzards, what if something happened? She would have been landing here this afternoon if she were going to make it to the ball tomorrow night…I just hope she's safe." He replied,

"Yeah…there have been a lot of accidents, but only with cars you know? I'm sure they would have been redirected or had flights cancelled if it was too dangerous…why don't you give her a call?" Mai asked, seeing John sigh inwardly,

"But I can't! She'd start to think…I couldn't let her know! I just don't want to be rejected again!" he replied. Mai stopped in her tracks and looked at John,

"Again?" she asked. John looked awkward and took to looking at his boots as he spoke,

"When I was born…my mother she…she didn't take to me. We never bonded, and the stress it…one day she tried to drown me. I wasn't even a year old. It was a miracle my father returned when he did. He had just left for work and had forgotten something. He heard my cries and rushed in to find her…well, you can imagine." He explained, feeling Mai's arms around his shoulders. He leaned on her and pulled her into an embrace,

"What happened?" she asked in barely more than a whisper,

"Mother was taken to a hospital for postnatal depression and treated, but she never took to me…it broke my father's heart. He took me and he left…he left her…because of me…when I was old enough I joined the church thanking God everyday for saving me, for having my father return. Father was so proud when I joined the church. He paid for me to go to the best school for it, and I studied and studied to repay him for all he had done, and once I became an exorcist…he cried with pride, and that was enough for me…I was truly happy then" he replied,

"What about your mother?" Mai asked.

"I found out…when I was eighteen she…she couldn't live with the guilt…father had left…she had no one to turn to…she…she hung herself." He replied, tears falling slowly down his cheeks.

"Oh John…I'm so sorry." Mai cried as she held him. Ahead of them Naru and the others had stopped and were waiting curiously,

"It's okay! We'll catch up shortly!" Fai called. Mai glanced over seeing a look of slight jealousy and possessiveness flicker across Naru's features in quite an un-Naru like way. _I can't believe he'd be like that at a time like this!_ She thought angrily as John pulled back and wiped his eyes,

"I really must apologise Mai, I shouldn't have burdened you like that." He apologised guiltily.

"Oh John! Don't think like that! I'm glad you feel you can talk to me like this." She replied with a bright smile.

"Thank you Mai." He replied, giving a weak smile in return.

"Come on, we had better catch up." Fai said as he started walking. Mai and John followed quickly and a few minutes later they arrived at the entrance to the chamber. Two large metal doors had been pulled open and a ladder had been thrown down.

"Hurry up!" Naru's voice called as Mai peered over the edge into the darkness, hesitating as she thought about the distance. Looking back Fai gave her a reassuring smile and John stepped forward holing out a hand to her,

"I'll hold onto you until you get your footing alright?" he said with a smile. Mia smiled nervously and gripped his hand as she crouched down by the edge and found the ladder with her feet. She quickly turned herself so that she was standing on the ladder with one hand gripping the rope edge. She took a step down, feeling the wooden rungs on the heels of her shoes. Soon she was too far down to keep hold of John so she let go and made her way down slowly.

"You're doing great Mai!" Monk-san called up encouragingly, "You're almost here!" he added, and soon after Mai felt her back collide with something soft but firm and felt strong arms close around her,

"Watch where you're swinging." Naru's voice scolded, but before Mai could snap out a reply she felt his lips on her neck trailing a few kisses as she stepped to the floor.

"S-sorry Naru." She apologised, grateful for the darkness so that no one could see her blush. _God I just want to! No! bad Mai! We have a job to do!_ She scolded as she stepped slowly away from the ladder in the darkness, feeling Naru's hand pull her towards the wall out of the way, she then felt her back against the wall with him pressing against her firmly, and then his lips brushing hers, and then drawing her into a passionate kiss, his hand running through her hair, his knee pressed between her legs and his other hand rising up her side to cup her breast gently. _Oh god!_ Mai thought, barely able to think anything as his tongue slid into her mouth to entwine with hers.

"Naru, we are almost ready to begin." Lin's voice called, almost as if it were a warning. Naru pulled back and walked away just as a candle flickered to life, leaving Mai leaning on the wall dishevelled.

"Alright, let's get these candles lit and placed around them." Naru's voice said as more candles were lit until there was a ring surrounding Lin and Mika's skeletal remains, the summer kimono ripped, but still hanging from her form.

"My god what did he do to you?" Fai's voice said in horror. Mai looked at Mika, waiting for Lin to start. Mai watched as Lin removed a knife, a book and some sort of powder. He started with the powder, taking a handful and chanting as he threw it over Mika, a slight breeze flowing through the tunnels giving Mai shivers and making the candles flicker as he did so. Lin continued to chant with all eyes watching him, the candlelight making it seem that people were moving around them, but then Mai did see someone move. Naru made a dash towards Mika, his intent clear in his eyes until Fai tackled him from the side, taking him to the ground.

"Naru! Fai!" Mai cried as she made to move towards them, but Monk-san's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her,

"No Mai, let John handle this." He said as John pulled out a vial of holy water and a bible, stepping forwards to exorcise them, all the while Lin never stopped or allowed himself to be distracted and as Mai glanced to the side she saw him cut his palm and let the blood drip onto the ring, only a few drops, but the effect instant, the candles blew out and Mai felt a rush as a familiar voice filled her head.

_'Eishi!'_ It cried, and it took Mai a few moments to realise that it was not only inside her head, but falling from her lips as well. '_Eishi! Stop! I'm alright!'_ She cried as she broke free from Monk-san and ran to Fai, who was pinning Naru to the floor with his hands around his neck. _Naru!_ Mai thought worriedly as he gasped for breath and clawed at Fai's hands desperately,

"Mika?" Fai asked as he looked at Mai, who felt her body run towards him, _this is so strange…last time I was possessed I couldn't see of feel anything, I didn't even remember what I did!_ She thought as she felt herself throw her arms around Fai, _I wonder if I can say something…_

_'HELLO? CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?'_ she asked.

"Mai! Yes! You're getting through!" Monk-san replied, "Are you okay in there?" he asked. Mai tried shifting her head and found she could take control, _I think she's letting me!_ she realised,

'_YES! YES I'M FINE! JOHN, BACK OFF FOR A MOMENT, I THINK WE'RE OKAY, BUT BE READY TO GET NARU!' _She warned, seeing John step back.

'_Thank you,' _Mika's voice said, _'t__hanks to all of you, you helped me even when you didn't have to. Eishi please, this is not Tohru's body to kill.'_ She said, touching Fai's shoulder comfortingly, watching as he begrudgingly released Naru, who snarled and would have been on top of Fai had John not thrown the holy water over him quickly and started reading a passage quickly. Naru howled in fury before falling to the ground unconscious. Mai seized control instantly and knelt by his side,

"Naru! Naru please!" she cried as she shook his shoulder, barely registering that Mika's presence had gone. She watched Naru stir and open his eyes,

"Did we do it?" he asked. Mai smiled and nodded,

"Yes, and we both thank you. We cannot tell you how grateful we are to you." Fai said, though they all knew it wasn't Fai speaking. "We shall leave now, but we owe you a great debt, a debt that will be paid." He assured, but before anyone could ask what he meant Fai's body collapsed and was quickly caught by Monk-san before it hit the floor.

"Well, hopefully that's it, but we'll stay for a few days to make sure." Naru said as he got to his feet, "Let's get back to the house, Lin, get working on a binding spell just in case." He ordered, watching as Lin nodded and headed for the ladder, leaving John and Monk-san to pack up the candles and other articles from the ritual.

"Fai, are you alright?" Mai asked as she knelt beside him. He looked up at her tiredly before sitting up with a groan,

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied as Mai helped him to his feet.

"Mai, Fai, come on." Naru called from the bottom of the ladder as John climbed up after Monk-san. Fai hurried over and followed John, who seemed to be a little stuck at the top. Taking advantage of the moment Naru pulled Mai into the darkness and kissed her, leaning her back on the wall with one knee resting snugly between her legs,

"Mm…Naru, the other." She began only to be cut off by Naru's lips crushing hers as his hands explored her body over her clothing, running down her sides, caressing her backside and then rising up again to her breasts. _Oh God, don't stop!_ Mai thought as she felt her breaths grow heavier, her kisses more urgent. She lifted her hands up to his shoulders and pulled him closer, feeling his knee brush her groin lightly, making her gasp in surprise and something darker. She felt his knee rise and brush her again, her breath getting deeper and her grip on his shoulders tightening. He leaned against her, raising his knee so that it pressed more firmly between her legs, "N-Naru!" she whispered, somewhere between lust and fear. He captured her lips again and held her close,

"Hey! Naru! Mai! You guys coming?" Monk-san's voice called,

"No, we thought we'd stay down here all day." Naru called back, his sarcasm not lost on Monk-san,

"In that case I'll close the doors for you." he called back,

"Don't you dare!" Mai cried, suddenly snapping back to herself and remembering there was a corpse a few feet away. She walked quickly to the ladder and started climbing, feeling Naru only a few rung behind. Mai gripped the rungs, shrieking as the ladder swung a little and she almost lost her footing, but before she could fall Naru's arms had appeared on either side of her, his chest pressed against her back reassuringly.

"Stop slacking and get moving." He said as Mai froze, _why that arrogant!_ She thought viciously, but before she could think further she felt him nip her ear lightly and blushed, _God I wish he'd stop teasing me like that!_ She thought fondly, though still annoyed.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER - SEE CHAPTER 1 - this chapter contains mild V for Vendetta referance in the form of a mask - read and you will understand. i would also like to add that this is an extremely R rated chatper!!

* * *

Mai stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself, blushing at the gown Fai had found for her. It was quite old fashioned with a bodice that pushed her breasts up, corset lacing at the back so that her stomach, what there was of it, was pulled in, and the skirts to the black dress were long and flowing, the toes of her heeled shoes only just showing beneath the gown. Her shoulders were bare, the ornamental straps were around her upper arms, but they were loose, the bodice holding the dress on by itself because it was so tight. _God, this dress is gorgeous! A bit hard to breathe in, but I think I'll get through the night…but…can I really wear this? It's so beautiful! Do I really do it justice?_ She wondered doubtfully as she ran a hand through her golden hair,

"Mai?" Fai's voice called through the door. Fai had been waiting outside for her to get ready, having left her with one of his maids to help with the lacing.

"Come in." She replied, still looking at herself doubtfully. She turned as Fai came into the room, startled as he dropped the red roses and masks he had been carrying and started at her, "I look awful don't I! I knew I couldn't carry this dress off! It's just too good for me to wear! I'll never carry it off!" she said in a panic as she turned back to the mirror,

"Oh Mai, that's not it at all! You look beautiful!" Fai assured as he picked up the roses and masks, "So beautiful that you made me lose myself for a moment. Here, these are for you, I'm not sure who they're from though, they were at the bottom of the stairs." He said as he gave the roses to Mai. She looked at them wonderingly, _no one's ever given me flowers before…_she thought, plucking the square of cardboard from inside the roses, **Mai, I'll find you in the ballroom. Wait for me where the clock stands.** She read, but there was no name, and the write was written as separate letters, so she couldn't tell whose it was even if she knew them. _How odd…I wonder who it was…_she thought, _it doesn't seem Naru's style, and Fai would surely have told me it was him…John like's Masako, Monk-san…no, not a chance, _she thought, laughing inwardly at the thought of the monk, who was more like a brother to her, sending her roses. "Oh yes, your friends have arrived, Miss. Ayako and Miss. Masako. They are in the ballroom now and will be staying on the floor above." Fai informed,

"Oh, right, thank you." Mai said, feeling a tug of guilt as she realised she had forgotten about the other two coming for the ball. _Great, I have to put up with Masako being all over Naru! God I hate her sometimes!_ She thought, calming herself with the thoughts that it was her, and not Masako, whom Naru had chosen. _But poor John, I really hope she starts to notice him!_ She added inwardly,

"Mai, here, it is a masquerade after all." Fai said as he handed her a black mask lined with gold that would cover her face until the jaw line, stopping at her cheekbones to show the bottom half of her face. She secured the mask with the elastic, looking at the feathers fanning from the top.

"I look like I'm from fifteenth century Europe or something." She laughed,

"More seventeenth I think." Fai corrected as he pulled his own mask over his face, his one white and black to match his suit. "Shall we?" he said as he proffered his arm. Mai slipped her hand through his elbow and held up the skirt of her gown as they made their way down to the ballroom.

* * *

Once in the room she stopped and gasped at the seemingly hundreds of people. There were probably only a hundred, but the constant swirl of gowns and turn of masks made it look so much more.

"Come, I'll introduce you to my cousins." Fai said as he stepped forward,

"Oh, maybe later. I said I'd meet someone." She replied as she looked around for the clock, seeing it on her right and already seeing someone below it.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that." He replied as he bowed and kissed her hand before walking off into the crowd. Mai made her way to the clock, startled as she realised the man in the suit was Lin. With the hairstyle and height it couldn't be anyone else.

"Lin-san." She greeted in surprise, _Lin-san? It was Lin-san who left the roses?_ She wondered as she stopped behind him. He turned and looked down, bowing slightly,

"Mai, would you care to dance?" he asked as he held out a hand for hers. Mai placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her to the floor, her confusion hidden behind the mask. She followed Lin in a fast waltz, confused further by his lack of explanation, until at the end of the dance he leaned down to her ear,

"He said he will be here when the clock strikes nine, be at the clock then." He said, walking away into the crowd before she could question him further, _what is going on?_ She wondered. It was then that she turned and saw Masako in a red flowery kimono and eye mask clinging to a young man in black, undoubtedly Naru. Holding in her irritation and ignoring the smug smile Masako sent her way Mai turned and almost walked into a young man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask,

"Mai, hey." Monk-san's muffled voice greeted. Mai was about to reply when a woman appeared at her side,

"You just had to go one step further didn't you?" Ayako's voice joked, her red hair flowing down her shoulders, the blood red gown and mask matching nicely,

"Hey, it's a cool mask." He replied, looking intently at Ayako.

"Ayako! I'm so glad you made it! Where were you?" Mai asked as she looked up at the older woman,

"I was in China performing a ritual, but I couldn't get back because of the snow, I'm so sorry, I heard about your." She began,

"Your encounter." Monk-san cut in, looking intently as Ayako as if trying to tell her something, whatever it was obviously got there because she nodded,

"Yes, terrible…falling down that well and everything, I'm just really glad you're okay." She said.

"Oh…it was nothing really, Naru was the one who got hurt, but he's fine as you can see." She replied, ending stiffly as she gestured towards where he stood with Masako clinging to him.

"We'll see you in a while, we have some…business to sort out." Ayako said as she dragged Monk-san away with her, both of them talking quickly in low voices as they disappeared. Mai sighed, _maybe I should have gone with Fai, I'm not sure I fancy a mystery date._ She thought as she looked up at the grandfather clock, which read ten to nine. Sighing she sat on a chair close by and waited, spending her time watching the couples dancing.

* * *

"Excuse me." A voice said besides her. Mai started and looked up at the young man beside her. He wore white, which contrasted with his black hair and made Mai gasped in surprise, "I'm glad you waited. Shall we dance?" he asked as he offered her his hand. As Mai took his hand she tried to place his voice, it was deep and smooth, but so muffled by the mask that she couldn't place it. As he took her in his arms she smiled, his hold was so familiar. Looking around she couldn't see Naru or Masako anywhere, _damn; I wanted to make him jealous for a change!_ She thought, a little disappointed as she was swept across the floor. At the end of the dance she felt herself tilted back and then felt his lips brush across hers lightly, making her blush beneath the mask, _what's going on? I don't even know this guy! At least…I don't think I do…do I?_ She wondered as she looked up at him, seeing a glitter of blue through the eyes of his mask. "It seems you could use some air. Perhaps we should go into the hall where it is less crowded." He said as he took her arm and led her into the hall, though Mai wasn't sure what made her comply.

"Wait a minute, who are you?" she asked as he wrapped his arms around her gently in the hall and pulled her towards him.

"You really do need to work on your intuition." He sighed, and in that instant she knew,

"Na." She began, but was cut off by his lips crushing hers,

"I think we should continue this upstairs." He said as he led her to the stairs. Mai allowed herself to be led, feeling her heartbeat quicken as they reached the top.

"Naru, don't you think this is…a bit fast?" she asked worriedly as she blushed. Naru opened the door and stepped inside, allowing Mai to follow timidly.

"Mai, we've already known each other for a year, and you know I won't go any further than you want me to." He replied, receiving a nod in reply. Naru smiled softly and kissed her, reaching round gently for the cords of the bodice. Mai felt the bodice loosen and gasped, pulling her hands back to hold the slipping dress up to cover her breasts. _Oh god Mai, what have you gotten yourself into?_ She wondered as she stepped back, feeling the cool wood of the door on her back. "Don't be afraid." Naru soothed as he kissed her neck, feeling her squirm as he pressed his body against hers, a small mewl escaping her mouth as he bit down gently. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed the silky skin of her back soothingly, almost smirking as her grip on the bodice loosened and the dress began to slide to the floor. He pulled back and looked at her flushed face, moving his eyes down to her now bare breasts and then to her shapely hips and legs.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she realised her state of dress, blushing as she drew her arms across her chest to cover herself.

"Too late, I've already seen it." He said, noting her horrified look, "Mai, you're perfect, don't be so modest…you're always so modest…" he almost whispered as he reached forward and gently lowered her arms, drawing her face back with his hand as she turned away. _I can't believe I'm standing here like this! What should I do?_ She wondered fearfully as Naru's lips met hers. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning back against the door as he moved down to her neck and reached up to clutch one breast as he moved to lick and suckle the other. She felt one of his knees move between her legs, rising until she was almost sitting on it.

"Naru!" she gasped as he raised his knee and gently bit down on her pert nipple, _I wonder if I should do something? But what?_ She wondered as Naru began raising his knee is a regular rhythm, forcing a gasp from Mai as the heat between her legs rose and the moisture began seeping through her white lace panties. Mai felt the strength from her legs draining and was grateful when Naru pulled the bolt across the door and carried her to the bed.

"You want to lead for a while?" he asked as he joined her on the bed, sitting at her side with his legs crossed at the ankles in front of him. Mai got to her knees, slipping her shoes off as she did so,

"But…I don't…" she began, blushing as Naru looked at her,

"Just try." He replied, kicking his own shoes off, sighing as Mai kissed his neck gently, sliding his jacket off and tossing it on the floor before working on his shirt buttons. Naru gasped as she straddled him, her lips seeking his as she slipped the shirt from his shoulders and wrapped her arms around him, mewling as she felt his skin on hers. She pulled back and pushed him onto his back gently as she moved down to his trousers, un-buckling the dark leather belt and button, then sliding the zip down. Naru raised his hips to assist her as she pulled the trousers down his legs and peeled them off, along with his socks. She blushed as she saw his erection through his black boxers and moved back to lie beside him,

"I'm not going on top." She stated, daring him to say otherwise as he smirked at her, almost gasping as he pried her legs apart and lounged between them,

"You're still taking the lead." He replied, smirking again at her blush, leaning down to kiss her. As he leaned down Mai felt his erection press against her heated core and gasped, raising her hips into his and felt a small stab of pleasure. She felt his hand grope for her breast and mewled as he thrust against her again. She raised her legs and wrapped them firmly around his waist, rising against him as he thrust down to her, feeling her heat increase with each meeting.

"Naru…" she sighed as he climbed off and knelt before her. He took her arms gently and sat her up, pulling her gently until she knelt before him. He gently reached down and pulled her knees apart, sliding his hand between her legs and stroking her with his fingers. Mai gasped and looked at the bulge in his pants, wondering if she should touch it. Naru watched as she reached out and paused above it nervously, gasping slightly as she touched his erection, her fingers lightly tracing the shaft with her fingers, her blush increasing. Naru inched his fingers over the waistband on her panties and slipped his fingers down to her slick core, brushing her clitoris lightly with his thumb, pressing harder as she gasped. He felt her hand hesitate at his waistband and took her hand, pulling it into his pants and wrapping it around his erection before pulling it out, enjoying her blush as she looked at his length, her breath coming in heavy gasps as he moved his thumb and stroked her entrance. Mai tightened her grip slightly and followed his lead as he pumped her hand up and down on his shaft, letting go after a few moments to allow her to continue. Mai watched as his eyes flickered closed and he groaned. _Did I do that?_ She wondered, holding tighter and watching as he groaned again, his eyes opening to look at her lustfully, the sight frightening her a little.

"Mai." He groaned as he leaned forward and captured her lips, slipping two fingers into her entrance, feeling the silken walls closing tightly around them. Mai grimaced slightly as he pushed further until his fingers were deep within her. He kissed her neck and stroked her walls, feeling her wetness increase, and a small mewl escape her. He sighed in her ear gently as she pumped, taking her hand once again to increase the pace lightly. He pulled his fingers back and slipped them in again, working up a rhythm as she pumped. Feeling her settle into the rhythm he slowly added another finger, feeling her flinch as her maiden head ripped slightly, but he didn't stop, and she didn't ask him to. Mai mewled as Naru pulled his hand back and pushed her onto her back while he pulled her panties down and removed his own pants. Mai sat up and looked at him naked for the first time, his well toned torso as she remembered it from her house, his whole body was well toned and looking down she blushed at the sight of his hardened length, the end dripping with pre-come. She blushed and gasped as Naru pulled her on top of him, amazed by his strength as he lifted her and turned her so that she was looking down at his length, her knees tucked beneath his arms. She felt herself pulled back a little, _what's he doing now?_ She wondered, gasping as she felt his breath between her legs an instant before his tongue flicked her core and ran up to her clitoris where it stroked back and forth, pressing hard as she mewled. She gripped the bed sheets and looked down at his erection, lowering herself and gripping the length, pumping slowly and licking the tip, feeling him gasp as he licked her teasingly. She slowly lowered her mouth until she had taken in as much as she could, closing her lips around him and sucking lightly, _I hope I'm going this right…_she thought nervously as she pulled her head back and lowered it again, feeling his fingers replace his tongue at her clitoris as his tongue slid into her entrance. She mewled in ecstasy and tried not to buck her hips as he stroked her. She felt him groan as she bobbed up and down on his length, the salty liquid from his tip increasing as his length throbbed approvingly. She felt Naru's hand in her hair, pulling her back and she turned to look as him as he pulled his fingers away from her, rolling her onto her side before getting to his feet and grabbing a chair, beckoning to her as he sat on it.

"Naru I…" she trailed off nervously, blushing as he took her hand,

"I'll be gentle." He promised as he turned her away from him and positioned her so that she would be straddling him backwards. He pulled her lowers, pausing as he positioned himself at her entrance and pulled her down slowly, not pausing as he felt her shudder and flinch as her maiden head broken. Once she was fully impaled he let her sit, kissing her shoulder and stroking her stomach as she cried at the pain. Within a few moments he felt her adjust and grow restless until she lifted herself and sat back down. Mai gasped at the feeling of his length within her, it was a feeling she could not put into words, but as she moved and felt him sliding in and out of her she knew she wanted more. She felt Naru's lips on her neck as she bobbed up and down, one arm round her chest and clutching her breast as the other stroked her clitoris and pulled her firmly against him, his hips rising slightly to meet hers as she bobbed, her breaths coming in heavy gasps, broken by mewls of intense pleasure. Mai gasped in surprise as Naru turned her to face him then placed her on the bed, driving his fully length into her forcing a mewl of pleasure from her. She wrapped her legs around him firmly and rose her hips to meet his as he drove into her again and again, feeling him throbbing within her until with a final mewl she climaxed, her walls closing around his length, milking his length as he came, still driving into her as they rode out their climax. As it ended Naru rolled to the side and lay on his back panting, wrapping his arm around Mai as she cuddled up to him.

"Naru, I love you." she purred as she closed her eyes, feeling tired and drained and wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep. Beside her Naru looked down at her sleeping form and smiled, sighing contentedly before he allowed his eyes to close.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1 - sorry it took so long, i'm on my way to a conclusion, but not there yet, enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

As Mai began to wake up, the first thing she realised was how cold she felt, the second was that her back was resting against something warm and soft. As she opened her eyes she realised she was naked, and jerking her head round she saw that the soft warm object was Naru's back. In the night he had rolled over, taking the duvet with him, and being wrapped in it so cosily Mai knew she wouldn't be able to pull any back to cover herself, _besides, he looks so peaceful and cute, it would be a shame to disturb him…not to mention mean._ She thought as she looked at him, a smile creeping across her lips. Sighing she rolled off the bed and went to her small case, where she had her silk pyjamas folded nicely. She pulled them on and lay on her back on the bed again, just managing to slip her cold feet beneath a corner of the duvet.

As she was drifting back to sleep she heard a groan from Naru as he turned over, resting an arm across her waist, along with some of the duvet, _well, at least I won't get cold now…was he waiting for me to get up and put clothes on?_ She wondered half-heartedly as she turned to Naru and settled into his embrace, which became firmer once she moved.

"Mai, what time is it?" Naru asked tiredly as he opened his piercing blue eyes and looked down at her. Mai raised herself on her elbow and looked at the clock behind him before groaning and lying back down,

"Just gone half nine." She sighed in reply. Naru removed his arm from her waist and sat up,

"I'll use the shower." He groaned as he stretched and got to his feet, pulling on his dressing gown and grabbing a towel as he headed for the bathroom. Mai sighed and lay back, looking at the ceiling and tracing the swirling patterns tiredly, "Mai, can you come here?" Naru's voice called from the bathroom, pulling her from her reverie.

"Why? Do you need something?" she asked as she got to her feet,

"An extra towel, and another bottle of shampoo." He replied. Mai sighed and went to the dresser, where there were a lot of bottles of soaps and perfumes. After a moments searching he found a new bottle of shampoo and in a draw was another clean towel. Mai knocked on the door lightly, "Come in." Naru's voice replied over the spray of the shower.

"Are you sure you want me to come in? Are you decent?" she asked as she inched the door open and looked around the corner, but Naru wasn't in sight, _ah, he's already in the shower._ "I'll just leave them here." She added as she put the second towel by his first and put the bottle on the toilet where he could reach it.

"Why not stay? It's a waste of water to have two showers." Naru reasoned as he pulled the curtain back enough to look at her, "Lock the door and get in." he encouraged.

"N-Naru, I don't think, um, I'm not…" she blushed, backing towards the door. With a sigh Naru climbed over the edge of the bath and walked towards Mai, who was now pressed back against the door, her face a light red. She shivered as Naru pressed against her, his breath tickling her ear as he leaned down and kissed her neck lightly. _My knees are shaking…stay up Mai! Stop being so weak minded!_ She scolded inwardly, trying to pull back and keep some control.

"Hm, how long do you think you can keep this up?" Naru asked as he pressed against her more firmly, almost forcing a mewl from Mai as she felt her core grow hotter.

"Keep what up?" she asked innocently, turning her face away as he looked at her, a slight blush still tracing her features.

"Resisting me." He replied simply, leaning down to nip her ear gently,

"I'm not, maybe you're not trying hard enough." She replied, turning away and turning the door handle, but before she could open it she felt Naru's body press her against the door, his hand quickly pushing the bolt across before creeping to Mai's silk top to deftly unbutton the front, while his other hand slid the silk trousers and panties down. As she pushed back against him she felt his erection pressed against her rear and blushed. She felt her top slowly slide down her back and arms until it joined the rest of her clothes at her feet.

"Better?" he murmured into her ear, noticing how the depth of his voice deepened her blush. Mai gasped and jerked back into his body as his hand reached round and his fingers slid between her legs to her opening, gently stroking her walls. Mai felt her legs give out and placed her hands on the wall, knowing that Naru was the only thing holding her up. As she felt herself slid slowly down she also felt Naru's erection slide between her cheeks,

"Naru…" Mai sighed as he lowered her to her knees, her arms resting against the wall as she knelt. Naru gently bit her shoulder and eased himself forward, his fingers still probing her entrance. Mai gasped and leaned her forehead on the cool tiles as she felt Naru's member slid into her, his fingers gently guiding him in. Mai braced her arms more firmly on the wall as Naru thrust into her from behind, the force of his thrusts almost throwing her into the wall. She felt his second hand creep up her side until it captured one of her breasts, his fingers teasing the nipple, squeezing sometimes quite painfully. Mai mewled as she came, almost knocking her head as Naru forced her against the wall with his final thrust, his breaths coming in gasps in her ear.

"Shower." He said as he got to his feet, pulling Mai with him. Mai followed obediently to the bath and climbed in beneath the cold spray. She shuddered as she felt Naru's seed trickling down her legs and reached for the soap, but Naru got there first and gently passed the soap up her arm and across her chest, using his other hand to knead the soap into her skin, his caresses gentle and caring, especially when he reached her face, and then it was Mai's turn to explore his body, her hands passing gently across his firm chest and tracing his face gently before sliding down to his toned legs and shyly sliding up and down his member, forcing a small groan from him. "We should get out soon." He said as Mai picked up the shampoo, taking a handful and massaging it into her head gently, her eyes closed in case the lather trickled into her eyes. Mai gasped as she felt Naru's hands take over from hers, his fingers gently massaging in circles over her head. _This is really relaxing…I could stand here all day…_she thought, sighing as his fingers went down to the back of her neck before the cool water splashed down over her head washing the thick white lather from her hair.

"Hey! Mai? Naru? You awake in there?" Monk-san's voice called from the other room, where Mai could hear loud knocking at the bedroom door.

"I'll go, I'm done anyway." Mai said as she climbed over the edge of the tub, wrapping a towel around her as she headed into the bedroom. "Hold on a minute Monk-san, I'm not dressed!" she called as she quickly dried herself and pulled on the silk dressing gown before sliding back the bolt on the door. "Morning, I was just getting dressed." She greeted as she opened the door and looked up at the relieved monk,

"Well, breakfast will be ready soon, so you tell Naru to get a move on okay? We need to decide what to do next." He said as he leaned on the doorframe, seeing Mai nod in agreement before growing thoughtful,

"That's true, we have no idea what Tohru will do now that Mika and Eishi are gone…is he likely to keep attacking people? I mean, his plan failed didn't it?" she asked as she looked up at Monk-san, who had a thoughtful look on his face,

"It did, but revenge is also an option, remember we ruined his plans, he may not be satisfied until he has killed us." Naru's voice replied from the bathroom door, where he stood with a towel round his waist.

"Oh, morning Naru. Well, we can talk more later, right now you two need to get dressed and down to the breakfast table. Masako has been quite miffed since last night, seems her date disappeared half way through the evening, as a matter of fact, I don't remember seeing you either Mai." Monk-san said teasingly, examining Mai's face for any trace of emotion that may give her away, feeling quite triumphant as a small blush began forming across her cheeks as she turned away,

"We'd had quite a tiring day. Well, I'm not sure about Mai, but I had, and I wanted to sleep. Mai was kind enough to agree to an early night." Naru replied simply as he walked across to his side of the bed and pulled his case onto the bed.

"Oh? And nothing else happened aside from that? Nothing at all?" he pried, keeping a close eye on Mai, who he knew was blushing bright red right now, and the glare that Naru sent his way made it even clearer that they were hiding something. "Well, it's about time." He added as he made to close the door,

"What's about time?" Mai asked as she turned to look at him, the blush still not completely faded from her cheeks,

"Oh, you know." Monk-san replied as he pulled the door shut.

"Come on, get dressed." Naru ordered as he buttoned his black shirt,

"Right." Mai replied as she went to rummage through her own clothes. _I wonder what we'll do…Tohru didn't attack us last night, but he may have been affected by John's exorcism, not to mention the wards we have around our rooms, and there were a lot of people here last night, and still will be today…will he show himself with all these people around? But then maybe he's given up…but that doesn't seem like him…I'm going in circles here…I hope Naru has more of an idea…_she thought as she dressed, not noticing Naru's impatient glances as he sat on the bed waiting for her to finish dressing.

"You really shouldn't try to think and do something else at the same time." Naru sighed as he got to his feet,

"Hm?" Mai asked, having been too busy thinking as opposed to listening,

"Never mind, just hurry up." He replied, pausing at the door as Mai hurried over from the bed, where she had just pulled on some white socks, which were mostly hidden by her trousers.

"Hey, Naru? If we just leave do you think Tohru will go back to the way he was before? You know, dormant?" Mai asked as they walked down the stairs side by side. Naru took on his usual thoughtful expression as he turned Mai's idea over in his head,

"To be honest I'm not sure. It seems that Tohru is bound to this house by the events of the past, so it's unlikely that his spirit could wander far, even while it's possessing someone, but that doesn't stop him from causing trouble to lure us back here…" he replied, gasping and reaching out as Mai tripped with a small shriek. Mai, who had closed her eyes as she tripped forward, bracing herself against the tumble she felt would come, opened her eyes to find herself safely in Naru's arms.

"N-Naru, I, thank you." she stammered as she regained her footing, Naru's hands staying firmly on her waist.

"Klutz." Naru smirked as Mai blushed angrily, enjoying the feeling of her trembling in his arms as she tried to think of a reply. With a quiet laugh he leaned forward and kissed her gently, feeling her melt into his embrace, all thoughts of anger gone from her mind.

"Hey, are you two going to stand there all day? What are you doing?" Monk-san called from the bottom of the stairs. Mai blushed and pulled back as Naru leaned over the railing and looked down at the Monk,

"We're on our way down." He replied curtly, not impressed at the interruption.

"Yeah, sure you were." Monk-san replied mischievously as he headed back into the living room, where the others were waiting. Mai and Naru entered the living room and saw that everyone involved in the case was already there, John was in his usual arm chair, Masako and Ayako were on the sofa, Lin was in another arm chair and Monk-san was sitting on the floor at Ayako's feet with Fai beside him. Naru glanced at the space next to Masako and walked, opting to lean on the arm of the sofa while Mai took the seat, receiving a small glare from Masako, who had obviously intended for Naru to take the seat beside her.

"Takigawa-san, my laptop please." Naru said looking down at the monk, who passed up the slender laptop to Masako, who in turned handed it to Naru. Naru opened it and waited a while before typing in his password, he then handed the laptop to Mai, "Mai, please take notes." He instructed, seeing her nod as she opened a document to type on. "Firstly Hara-san, you've only been here one day, but in that time have you felt anything?" Naru asked, glancing down at Mai, who was focused on the task at hand,

"I do. There is a spirit here, both strong and evil, I've never felt anything like this before, there is so much hatred and animosity in his heart…I don't think he can be saved…" she replied, bringing up her arm so that the blue kimono sleeve hid her pained expression.

"Is he likely to attack again?" Naru asked,

"Yes, though right now he is too weak, he is in pain." She replied as she closed her eyes and allowed the feelings to fill her,

"That must be from the exorcism, he fought against it so much that it must have harmed him." John added as he sat on the edge of the chair, his attention riveted on the task.

"I agree, that was his last chance, the only way he could stop Mika from being free and forever trap her soul. He used almost all of his energy then, only letting go when he had no choice." Naru decided as Mai typed away at the keys quietly and Lin watched the proceedings carefully.

"Would exorcising the spirit from the house work?" Monk-san asked, but Naru shook his head,

"Exorcising a spirit this evil would merely displace it, I am not absolutely certain of this, but I am fairly sure…" he replied thoughtfully,

"Naru is correct, the only way to rid the house of this spirit so that t can harm no one else is to bind him and then burn the artefact he is bound to." Lin explained, trying to ignore Masako's horrified look, which he may have shared had this not been a spirit of such evil.

"If that's the case then wouldn't it be best to get him now when he's weak?" Monk-san asked, looking over at Lin for confirmation, which he received.

"It would, and we will if all agree. I mainly needed Masako's confirmation of his intent to attack again, had this not been his intention I may have explored other options, but a spirit of this evil must be stopped at all costs, correct Hara-san?" Naru asked as he looked at the medium; who nodded reluctantly, "Good, then it's settled. Lin will perform the binding as soon as possible. Hara-san, you may leave if you wish." He added, receiving a grateful nod as the medium got to her feet, but as she got up she froze, her eyes wide,

"Masako?" Mai asked as she looked up from the laptop, suddenly feeling that something was very wrong,

"_Silence girl! I am not Masako!_" Masako's voice said darkly as she turned and glared at Mai in a way she had never thought possibly of Masako,

"It is Tohru." Lin said as he got to his feet and faced the spirit. John slowly got to his feet, freezing as Masako turned and pointed at him,

"_Stay there priest! Or I will kill the girl!_" Tohru ordered, sending a glare at Ayako and Monk-san too, "_That goes for you as well!_" he added as he looked down at Fai, who looked back up fearfully,

"Leave him, it was not he who broke your curse." Lin stated calmly, drawing Tohru's eyes to him instead,

"_You are quite right. I should deal with you before any other for your interference!_" Tohru cried as he launched at Lin, leaving Masako's body to do so. Masako fell weakly into Monk-san's waiting arms as Mai watched Tohru run at Lin, who seemed oblivious to the danger,

"Lin-san! He's running right for you! Look out!" Mai cried as Tohru reached out ready to plunge his faded ethereal hand into Lin's chest, but before he could do so a white orb attacked him, quickly joined by two others, "What are they?" Mai wondered aloud,

"You can see them? They're Lin's shikigami, much like the western familiar spirits. An onmyodo can summon them to serve and protect him; Lin has five of these familiars." Naru replied as the orbs of light fought Tohru off,

"I see, so they're spirits." Mai said, receiving an unnecessary nod from Naru. Mai froze as Tohru turned to her and began running at her, "Oh no you don't! Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu zai zen!" Mai chanted, moving her hands in the repelling motions, relieved as Tohru backed off towards Lin again, momentarily forgetting about the shikigami, which immediately attacked him from behind. Mai watched in astonishment as Lin took the black magic book Tohru had used from his jacket and began chanting in Chinese. It was a good spell, Mai wasn't sure how she knew, but the words didn't sound dark and harsh as Tohru's had, they sounded beautiful, in a way almost tuneful. Tohru's spirit cried out in pain as the shikigami surrounded it and began forcing it towards the book. John knelt beside Masako and took her hand as she covered her eyes, not wanting to watch the death of the spirit, but somehow Mai felt that Lin's soft words could not kill, and she was right since as she watched she saw Tohru slowly pulled into the pages of the book, but he still felt his presence, it was just wrapped in a white aura.

"Is it over?" Ayako asked from where she sat, not being able to see spirits she wasn't sure what had happened, but she had the feeling it was over from the way Mai relaxed and Masako peered over her kimono sleeve.

"Yes. Now all we need to do is purify and burn the book, then get rid of the ashes in a river, or at least cleanse them in water." Naru replied,

"Holy water will cleanse the ashes." John added as he released Masako and returned to his seat, receiving a nod from Naru.

"Alright, I'll go burn it now. Want to come along in case something goes wrong Lin-san?" Monk-san asked as he got to his feet to begin preparations,

"I will." Lin replied as he followed Monk-san from the room.

"Will all of this be over once the book is gone?" Fai asked from his place on the floor.

"Yes, Tohru's spirit is now bound to that book. If the book is burned and purified the spirit will die," Naru replied, gently touching Mai's arms with his hand as he leaned on the arm of the sofa.

"We'll, I'll get your breakfast; it should be ready soon." Fai decided as he got to his feet. Masako slowly got to her feet and almost fell, but was caught by John, who lifted her into his arms gently,

"Thank you John-san. I believe I will rest a while, I feel so tired…" Masako said weakly as she leaned into John's embrace,

"I'll take her to her room." John added as he headed to the door, joined quickly by Ayako,

"I'll help the monk." She said as she left, closing the door behind her. Mai took the chance to lean on Naru, who looked down at her with a warm look before motioning for her to move along, which she did gladly. Once he was beside her he wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her arm gently.

"I'm glad Lin was able to bind Tohru this time around, if we had waited and he'd regained his strength I'm not sure Lin would have been able to." Naru said as Mai leaned into his and rested her hand on his knee gently,

"He seemed fine to me, and he only used three of his shikigami." Mai replied positively,

"Exactly, meaning the other two were busy elsewhere. The shikigami can also borrow power from Lin when they need it, sapping his energy. I could see that fight taking its toll on him, though he tried to hide it." Naru explained, seeing Mai look sympathetically out of the window,

"I feel a little bad, I didn't do anything to help and Lin-san was fighting really hard and having his energy drained to save us…" she thought aloud, feeling Naru stroke her back gently,

"That can't be helped, after all you don't have the skills he does, but I'm sure Lin knows you would have helped, that all of us would have helped in fact. He has a habit of knowing things like that." He replied assuringly,

"So this is it? Case closed?" Mai asked as she looked up at Naru's crystal eyes,

"Yes, case closed…but Mai, there's something you have to know…" he said as he sat up and turned her to face him,

"What is it Naru?" she asked worriedly, not liking the guilty look in his eye, nor the sympathy that flowed with it,

"I should have told you sooner, but with the case I didn't want to add to your grief and worry, and I'm sorry about that…but…it's your father…" he said gently, seeing Mai's eyes widen, "There was an accident," he added, looking away, not wanted to continue, and then Mai remembered, _oh God it was him…he was the one in the car!_ She cried inwardly, remembering the news report on the radio the day she and Naru had gone to get clothes, the day she had seen Naru's home. "Mai, I'm so sorry, I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know how to tell you." Naru apologised,

"Is…did…he's…did he die?" she asked, not needing Naru to say anything as his eyes closed and he turned his face away, _he's really gone…I…I can't believe it…_she thought numbly, feeling her throat catch before she broke down into tears, feeling Naru pull her into his arms and hold her securely, his hand stroking her back soothingly as he whispered in her ear softly.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

* * *

"How is she?" Ayako asked later that evening as Naru closed the door of their bedroom. Mai listened from her place on the bed where she lay curled up, tears still steaming down her cheeks, her ribs aching from her constant crying. The sobs had subsided for the moment, and her breathing was just about levelling out as she stared vacantly at the wall.

"Not good…but she'll get there." Naru replied from the other side of the door,

"Maybe she shouldn't be alone, everyone's really worried about her, maybe we should take turns sitting with her…" Ayako thought aloud. Mai shifted her glance to the door, able to imagine the worried look on Ayako's face as she looked at the marble floor, _I can't believe I'm being so selfish! I've been in here all day, and I've made everyone worry again, and Naru, he's been with me all day when he could have been researching or supervising the purification, but he had to stay with me…I'm always troubling him…_Mai thought as she sat up and went to the bathroom, turning on the tap and splashing water on her face before heading to the door, pausing with her hand on the handle, _come on Mai! You can do this! _She encouraged inwardly as she opened the door with a bright smile on her face, surprising both Naru and Ayako with her sudden appearance,

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. How did the purification go?" she asked brightly, seeing a worried look pass from Ayako to Naru, who acknowledged it with a slight nod,

"It went well, but Lin and Monk-san are both exhausted, and John's a little tired too, they all worked hard today." Ayako replied as Mai headed for the stairs,

"Well, that's good. When's dinner, I'm starving!" Mai asked as she bounded down the stairs, Naru and Ayako hurrying to keep up with her. As she reached the bottom of the stairs Fai walked out of the kitchen,

"Ah, Mai, I hope you're hungry, dinner is ready." Fai informed cheerfully. Mai smiled brightly and looked back at Ayako and Naru, who had also reached the bottom of the stairs,

"Great, let's eat…what's wrong Ayako?" Mai asked, seeing the worried expression again,

"Mai, you don't have to pretend…you must be really hurt right now, you just lost your father…" Ayako replied comfortingly, putting a hand on Mai's shoulder gently, but Mai just smiled and turned away,

"Oh that, don't worry I'm fine, I've been crying all day but I'm fine now." She insisted as she headed for the dining room. Ayako watched Mai go and sighed before following with Naru close behind, his own thoughts hidden firmly behind his neutral mask. At the table Mai was outwardly cheerful, she asked the three tired men how they were, all of them replying they were fine with less enthusiasm than usual, especially Monk-san, who was usually the life and soul of the group, but he was subdued, throwing her analysing looks throughout the meal. Masako was also at the table, still a little pale, but otherwise fine, though she too seemed bothered by something.

"Mai, can I have a minute?" Monk-san asked as they all began to leave the table. Mai waited beside her chair as everyone else filed out quickly, John and Masako deep in discussion, Lin and Naru scanning through papers and talking in subdued tones while Ayako yawned and stretched as she reached the door saying something about an early night. Once they were gone Monk-san made his way over to Mai and put his hands on her shoulders, "What is this all of a sudden? I know you, you're way too sensitive to be all cheery right now." He pried gently,

"Monk-san, don't worry I'm okay, really." Mai insisted,

"Mai, don't lie to me! Why are you pretending like this?" Monk-san implored, but Mai still smiled, taking his hands from her shoulders gently,

"Thank you for worrying about me all the time, but I'm really okay." She replied before heading to the door. Monk-san sighed and walked with her, opening the door to find Naru and Lin, Lin just on his way into the living room while Naru seemed to intend to remain in the hall. As the dining room door opened both men paused and looked over,

"Hey Lin-san, wait up!" Monk-san called as he hurried over, laying a hand on Naru's shoulder as he went by, "You're up." He muttered as he and Lin walked into the living room and closed the door,

"I'm going to bed, will you come with me?" Naru asked as he headed to the stairs. "Lin thinks it best to remain in groups for now, just in case." He added as he looked back at Mai, who seemed about to object, "I really am tired." He said, succeeding in swaying Mai's decision.

"Alright, I was a little sleepy anyway." She replied as she joined Naru on the stairs and they began to walk up in silence. The silence remained between them, an awkward silence. Mai could tell that Naru wanted to ask her something, but to pry would mean interrupting his thoughts. As they entered the room Mai dived onto the bed and laid on her side facing the wall,

"Mai…you're making everyone worry again. Do us all a favour and grieve properly, we know you're faking." Naru scolded matter-of-factly as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his shirt. Mai peered over her shoulder at him as he sat with his back to her; _I made them worry again? They weren't supposed to worry…oh God, don't you dare Mai-chan! Not again! _Mai threatened inwardly as her eyes slowly filled with tears again, suddenly leaking over the edge of her eyes and over the bridge of her nose onto the pillow."Mai?" Naru's voice asked as he lay down on his side, his hand on her shoulder trying to gently pull her over so that he could see her face, _No! Don't do that! Please stop! _She begged as she resisted his touch, feeling her body shudder as she held her breath, willing the sobs to stop, _oh god he knows! I can't stop crying…_she thought as she cried, feeling sobs wrack her body as she let out the breath she had been holding, but Naru didn't say anything, he just put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest securely. As her back rested against his chest Mai found she couldn't resist any more, she cried helplessly in his arms.

* * *

"Mai…" A voice called. Mai opened her eyes slowly and sat up, expecting to see Naru in the bed beside her, but he was gone. "Mai." The voice said again, and as Mai looked at the foot of the bed she saw a familiar figure.

"Father…" Mai said in shock as her father walked towards her, his short brown hair brushed neatly as she remembered, his suit clean and fresh and his green eyes piercing. "You're…" she began slowly,

"Here to say good bye." He finished for her as he sat on the bed beside her, stroking her cheek gently as tears slipped down from her eyes, "I'm sorry I missed Christmas…it seems I always let you down." He apologised as he pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair as she cried,

"You're wrong! You're wrong, don't say that!" Mai cried as she looked into her father's eyes, "You worked so hard for me all the time, I couldn't ask for more!" she continued, seeing a smile grace her father's face, his eyes warm as they always had been,

"Thank you…my little Mai…my time is short, but I must warn you now, they know, and they are coming for you as your only legal guardians." Her father added urgently as he started to fade. Mai reached out desperately, trying to clutch the edge of his jacket before he disappeared,

"No! Father wait! Don't leave me!" she cried as he disappeared, leaving her alone on the bed reaching for thin air. She buried her face in the covers and cried heavily, feeling a hand on her shoulder and as she looked up Naru was beside her, fully dressed sitting where her father had been,

"I'm sorry Mai, I didn't think that this would hurt you so…I thought seeing your father once more would…" he began regretfully, but Mai grabbed his sleeve tightly and looked up at him with a small teary smile,

"Don't apologise…it was the greatest gift I could ever ask for." She replied, to which Naru smiled softly and stroked her hair,

"It's a little late, but Merry Christmas Mai." He said before lowering Mai down on the bed, "Now close you eyes." He soothed gently. Mai obliged and let her eyes slide shut.

* * *

_They are coming for me…those words…why do they make me feel so…scared?_ Mai wondered as she regained consciousness. _They…they…who? I know…I do, but…why is it so hard to think? Could he mean…_Mai sat up gasping in terror, her eyes wide as she remembered their faces,

"Mai! Are you alright?" Naru asked as she sat with her eyes locked on a far spot of the wall, gradually calming down. "Did you have a nightmare?" he pried gently as he sat up and put a hand on her shoulder, pulling back as she jerked in surprise.

"Something like that." She replied sheepishly as she fell back with her head on the pillows, her short hair fanned out, framing her face. Naru ran his fingers through her hair, caressing her cheek gently,

"Whatever it is you know I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll take care of you." he soothed as he leaned down and kissed her cheek gently,

"You might not be able to this time." She whispered to herself, "Nothing." she replied to Naru's inquisitive hum, pressing her lips to his and stroking his chest, "Make me feel safe." She said quietly into his ear, feeling his arms wrap around her, pulling her tightly to his chest, his hand stroking up and down her back soothingly. Mai moaned and pressed against him, feeling soothed and somehow excited by the motions on her back.

"Is safe all you want?" Naru asked boldly, Mai blushing as she pictured the smirk that was on his face right now. As an answer Mai fell onto her back, pulling Naru on top of her, her hands on his shoulders as he held himself above her. "I'll take that as a no then." He said as he kissed her, moving down from her lips to her neck, unbuttoning her shirt and slipping it off, moving onto the white lace bra before slowly working his way down to her breasts where he paused nipping and suckling the nipples, stroking lower with his hand until he reached the band of her skirt, unzipping it and pulling it down, along with her panties before stroking up the inside of her thigh until his hand was between her legs, sliding his fingers in and out of her entrance slowly, enjoying the steady increase of her breathing from short quick breaths to heavier deep breaths and finally to urgent gasps with a few small moans escaping her lips.

"Naru!" she gasped urgently, the hands on his shoulders tightening their grip painfully, her nails digging roughly into the skin. With a smirk Naru pulled his pants off, positioning himself at her entrance before pressing his lips to hers roughly and sliding into her entrance, rocking back and forth teasingly as Mai gasped and shut her eyes tightly, leaning her head back into the pillow and allowing Naru access to her neck as she did so. He buried his face in her neck, licking and biting the skin gently, feeling one of Mai's hands travel across his shoulder to the back of his neck, keeping him there. With another small smirk Naru increased the pace of his thrusts, feeling Mai's walls shudder as she reached the edge, her nails piercing the skin of his shoulder as he came, his thrusts increasing in speed as they rode out their orgasm before Naru pulled out and went to roll off, but Mai's hand stopped him, "Stay here." She said tiredly as she pulled him down,

"Mai, I'll crush you." Naru objected as he pulled back, but the look of need in her eyes was too much for him, so he slowly lowered his body onto hers, his head resting beside hers on the pillow, his chest pressing down on hers as he lay between her legs. "Are you alright?" He asked as he settled, feeling her nod beside him as he closed his eyes. Mai remained awake looking at the ceiling; _I have to leave…but is there really any point? They're my legal guardians now; they'll be perfectly within their rights to have the police search for me…Nothing would happen if I told the police either, they have people on the inside to make sure of that…in that case, I really am…I should stay here and enjoy the time I have left...before…_she thought, jerking as there was a loud knock on the door.

"Mai! Naru! We have problems!" Monk-san called urgently as he opened the door, freezing in shock as he saw the two, Naru still lying on top of Mai, both covered in sweat, the blanket dishevelled, though still covering them, and discarded clothes scattered across the bed and floor, "But I should just…wait in the hall." He added as he stepped back and closed the door. Naru and Mai looked at each other and blushed, _there's no talking our way out of this one, Monk-san will spread it within five minutes!_ Mai thought in embarrassment.

"Come on, we have to get up." Naru said as he got to his feet and went to the bathroom, turning on the shower before coming back, "We'll share, it'll be quicker." He added, watching as Mai pulled back the covers and stumbled over to him quickly, both of them being quick to wash and dress before stepping out into the corridor, where Monk-san stood waiting for them, leaning on the railing.

"As I was saying, we have a major problem." Monk-san said, stepping in pace with Naru as he headed towards the stairs. Naru remained silent, his attention riveted on Monk-san as they went, "The purification definitely worked, there's no doubt about that, but Masako can feel him. He's still here!" Monk-san continued. Mai watched as Naru paused, his eyes wide at the news,

"That's not possible…" he replied, seeing Monk-san's impatient nod,

"I know, that's why it's a problem!" he said, pulling Naru's arm as he headed down the stairs. _Tohru is…still here?_ Mai thought as she looked up and down the deserted stairs and shivered, wondering if Masako was right while hoping that for once she was wrong. "Mai! Keep up!" Monk-san ordered as he looked back to see Mai standing half way up the stairs,

"Right!" Mai replied, running quickly down to him and walking with them into the living room where everyone else was sat looking worried and sombre.

"Hara-san" Naru said as he stood beside Lin and looked over at the dark haired girl perched on the sofa. Mai sat beside Masako, also worried by the situation,

"It's faint, but he's definitely here." she replied, holding her kimono sleeve so that it hid her face as she shuddered. Mai closed her eyes and focused, _I know I'm not a medium like Masako, but we have sensed the same thing before…maybe I can confirm it…_she thought as she sat beside Masako, not sure of what she was supposed to do. She should listen, but all she heard was the talking around her, and as for feeling, she could feel what she was feeling, uncertainty and fear of what might happen next, but not anything outside of herself, _maybe this isn't helping. _She sighed inwardly as she prepared to open her eyes, and it was as she opened her eyes that she felt a deep fear in her heart and thought she saw a flash of Tohru's image before her eyes as they opened,

"Mai?" Naru asked with masked concern as she snapped her eyes open and gasped,

"Masako's right, he's here, I don't know how or why but he's here!" she confirmed, seeing Naru give Lin a deeply troubled look,

"You don't think he…" Monk-san began as he looked up at Lin from his place on the floor. Lin looked thoughtfully at the carpet, obviously troubled,

"It seems likely at this point, it is the only explanation, but what purpose would it serve?" Lin said thoughtfully, until his eyes snapped wide as he realised, "Of course, how could I not have realised!" he cursed as he got to his feet,

"What is it?" Ayako asked, not liking the sound of Lin's voice,

"He split his soul." Lin replied,

"How could he split his soul?" Mai asked in confusion, watching Naru give his trademark sigh as he looked at her,

"For Mai's sake I'll explain. Powerful sorcerers of a certain level can split their soul. It's very dark magic, the idea is to trade a limb for each split you make, so normally that maximum is four, unless you intend to die right then and there, then it can be six, the arms, legs, head and body. The idea is that if one part of your wandering soul is destroyed then there will be others to take its place. There is little point in splitting your soul too much, otherwise there will be no presence behind the soul, just a shadow or an after image, like now with Tohru, his presence is faint. What Lin believes is that because a small portion of the soul has survived it is now slowly drawing back the lost part that we destroyed, slowly reforming back into a complete and even more powerful being." Naru explained, seeing the horrified expressions slowly creeping onto his assistant's faces as they grasped the meaning of what he was saying,

"But if he's more powerful then Lin-san might not be able to handle him, especially after last time!" Monk-san exclaimed as he got to his feet, "We have to stop him reforming, but how? Where is the other part of his soul?" he continued, clearly agitated as he clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists,

"Monk-san, please, working yourself up like this won't get anything done faster. Calm down, okay?" John said assuringly from his place on the chair. Monk-san paused reluctantly and sat down,

"Sorry, but we absolutely have to find it!" Monk-san replied,

"I agree…luckily we know one thing, the fragment of his soul will be a piece of his body, but which part or where it is I cannot say…we also don't know how much time we have…Hara-san, how is it?" Naru asked as he looked up. Masako closed her eyes briefly before gasping with a hand on her chest,

"The spirit is reforming, it is already twice as strong as it was a few hours ago when I first felt it!" she replied urgently,

"Okay…Lin and I will search the library for records and pictures, anything that can help us find out which limb was missing, Masako, keep an eye on the spirit, Ayako, Monk-san, make protective charms and place them all over the house, I want this place to seem like an impenetrable fortress to spirits, Fai you help them place the charms and Mai…get some sleep." Naru ordered, receiving nods from everyone except Mai, who sighed, _great, there's nothing I can do other than sleep._ She thought in disappointment,

"Hey, don't look so down, your dreams are what help us solve cases like this remember? We need a dream right now Mai, I just hope you have one waiting for you. Go on, you better go to the library, Masako and Fai will be helping up stick charms all over the house and we can't leave you alone." Monk-san said, ruffling Mai's hair as she got to her feet with fresh enthusiasm and ran after Lin and Naru, who had already left. She hurried into the library where Lin and Naru were already scanning the shelves for clues. Mai went to a dark green leaver sofa by the door and laid down, not all that comfortable, but sure that she would eventually fall asleep, _come on Naru, help me! I need to know about Tohru!_ She thought desperately as she lay there.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

* * *

"Mai." Naru's voice said. Mai opened her eyes and sat up to find herself lying on the floor in the entrance hall with Naru kneeling beside her. She got to her feet quickly and looked around, not seeing Tohru anywhere.

"Naru, I need to see what happened to Tohru! Which limb did he sacrifice? Where is it hidden?" She asked quickly as she turned to Naru, seeing him smile softly in return. He nodded to the door as there was a loud knock, and from the dining room came a familiar male voice,

"Mika! Can you answer the door?" It called. Mai turned as the kitchen door opened and Mika walked out wearing a deep blue kimono, "Mika?" the voice called again,

"I'm here!" she replied as she passed the door, heading for the large wooden door to the house, where someone waited outside still knocking. "Alright!" Mika called kindly at the front door as she grabbed the handle and opened it, "Good day sir, may I help you?" she asked courteously of the young dark haired man who stood at the door,

"Good day Miss, is the Lord of the household home?" he asked politely,

"Of course, but he is rather busy right now. I am the Lady of the house, will that do?" she asked in return, seeing a slightly disappointed smile cross his features,

"Yes indeed. I am Eishi's cousin, Tohru. He invited me to stay for a while." Tohru replied, immediately being swept into the house by Mika, who called into the dining room, bringing Eishi running, who then pulled his cousin into greeting hug,

"Cousin Tohru, it is good to see you! I can't believe it has been over a year already!" Eishi exclaimed as he held Tohru at arms length and studied him carefully, "You haven't changed at all! But wait, what's this? You seem to be limping slightly, were you injured?" he asked in concern as Tohru limped forward slightly, clearly in pain,

"Oh, it is nothing! A riding accident, the horse threw me off." He replied quickly,

"Well, I can't have you carrying such a burden in your condition, here, allow me to take your cases up to your room." Eishi said as he bent to pick up the cases, but Tohru quickly grabbed the nearest of the two, lifting it quickly out of Eishi's reach,

"I won't hear of it! I will at least take one." He replied as Eishi lifted the other case,

"Very well, I shall take you to your room and allow you to get settled, after that we shall have some refreshments prepared for you, you have travelled far today and must be both tired and hungry." Eishi decided as he began to climb the stairs, Tohru close behind as Mika returned to the kitchen, shouting to the cooks to start preparing food and drink for their guest. Mai looked at Naru before following Eishi and Tohru, who walked straight into the room where Mai and Naru had been staying, though the inside was different, the furniture looked a lot brighter and newer here,

"So, how is married life?" Tohru asked as Eishi put the case down, smiling dreamily as he sat on the edge of the bed,

"You cannot imagine the joy I feel, the joy Mika brings me everyday." He replied dreamily as Tohru placed his case beside the door and pulled his travelling cloak off, hanging it on the back of the door,

"I am glad to hear it, oh yes, I stopped off in the town on the way here, and an old man asked me to tell you the portrait is almost complete. The wood for the frame arrived this morning and he will have it delivered as soon as possible." He informed as he turned to Eishi, who quickly stood and headed for the door,

"That's is good, Mika will be most pleased, now I have things to do, and you will be wanting to bathe and relax after your long journey. I will leave you to it." Eishi said as he left and shut the door. Tohru glared after him before opening the case he had carried himself. Mai peered over his shoulder and gasped, almost choking as se saw the severed decaying leg inside. _But that's impossible! He still has both legs!_ She thought as he began to pull back the carpet and then, using a thin bar from the case, he pried up some floorboards, taking the limb and hiding it inside before saying some sort of incantation and replacing the boards.

"What was that for?" she wondered aloud,

"Haven't you figured that out yet?" Naru asked kindly, watching her as she thought, finally putting two and two together,

"Of course! The smell! There's no smell even though it was…" she began, clamping a hand over her mouth as she recalled the slowly decomposing flesh. She felt Naru's concerned hand on her back and looked up at him assuringly, "It's okay, I haven't eaten today." She said, _good thing too._ She added inwardly, wondering how expensive the carpet in the library was, not to mention the cost of cleaning the leather sofa. She turned back to Tohru and watched as he undressed, wanting to turn away, but somehow feeling that it was important to watch. As he pulled his black trousers off she saw a dark red scar around the top of his right leg, but there was still a leg there. He sat on the bed and chanted, it was a harsh foul sound, nothing like Lin's gentle words, and as she watched she thought she saw a hand rise up from the leg, a transparent ghostly hand, but as Tohru chanted it was forced back and locked within the flesh, _it's a spirit! He's using a spirit to keep that leg on, but where did he get it from in the first place?_ She wondered, not sure she wanted to know, _in any case this makes Naru's search of the library useless, and the soul has been so close all this time! _She thought, seeing Naru nod as she thought of waking up again.

* * *

"Naru!" she cried as she sat up, finding him at her side in an instant as she climbed stiffly off the sofa, "It's under the floorboards in our room!" she said, following as he and Lin ran to investigate. As they entered the room Mai pointed to the loose edge of the carpet and watched as Lin and Naru pulled it back,

"It's too late! Get out of there!" Masako screamed from the top of the stairs as Naru and Lin ripped up the floorboards, throwing them aside hurriedly as they searched,

"There!" Mai cried as Lin ripped up a board at the foot of the bed, and suddenly Naru snarled angrily and plunged the jagged edge of the board he was holding into Lin's stomach. Mai screamed in horror as Lin fell down clutching his stomach with a surprised and horrified look. Mai felt Masako's hands on her arm, pulling her away urgently, and as Naru looked at her with an inhuman grin she ran, keeping Masako ahead of her. _Hurry Masako!_ Mai thought as they raced down the stairs, Masako's kimono and geta slowing her progress, "Masako! Kick off your shoes!" Mai ordered as Masako stumbled, Mai's hand on her shoulder to steady her in an instant. Masako nodded and slipped out of her geta as Mai glanced over her shoulder, finding Naru only a few steps behind, "Go!" Mai shouted as she pushed Masako forward, wrapping her arms around Naru tightly as he reached her, gripping tightly as he struggled with her,

"Mai no!" Monk-san cried as Naru rammed her into the stair rail, making her scream in agony at the contact. Naru smirked and grabbed her neck roughly, picking her up and forcing her over the rail,

"N-Naru! Please…help…" Mai begged, the hold on her neck making her choke on the words, no longer able to take in air, her lungs aching, her eyes watering, _am I really going to die? No! I can't! Not yet! I have to help Naru! _She thought desperately as she clung to life, struggling in Naru's grasp.

"Give up, this body is mine now, and what a body it is! So much power! This is far superior to my old body! With this I can make my spells ten, no twenty times more powerful!" Tohru said with an evil grin that didn't suit Naru's soft features. Mai reached up weakly and gripped Naru's hand, digging her nails in, trying to loosen his grip. She gulped in a little air and glared at the man who held her, seeing through Naru to Tohru,

"Let Naru go!" she ordered breathlessly, Naru laughing loudly and leaning forward mockingly,

"What are you going to do if I don't? Of all your friends you're the weakest link. Lin had his spiritual powers, Naru his sheer intelligence, John his exorcist abilities, the Monk his Buddhist powers, the Miko her Shinto powers, even Masako is more useful with her medium ability, so tell me little girl, what power do you have that you think can stop me?" he demanded as he looked down at Mai with an aura of confidence and superiority. Mai felt tears sliding down her cheeks as she tried to sit up on the railing and get back to the stairs,

"I-I may not have strong psychic powers…I may not be strong…I may be a burden most of the time…but there is one thing…there is one thing I can do!" Mai cried as she escaped Naru's hold on her neck and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him close as she whispered in his ear, "I can love Naru, I can love Naru enough to save him like this." She said as she leaned back over the railing, keeping her hold on Naru as she fell back, looking into his eyes to see horror, terror, fury and defiance as they began to fall. As they fell Mai closed her eyes and pulled Naru closer, _I'm sorry Naru, I had to._ She cried inwardly as they plummeted towards the floor below, Monk-san's cries filling her ears as the air roared past her ears, _I'm so scared, I don't want to die!_ She thought as tears streamed down her cheeks, but suddenly the descent stopped, _did we hit? Am I dead?_ She wondered as she slowly opened her eyes to see that she and Naru were floating a meter above the floor, Monk-san and Masako looking both shocked and relieved,

"What's going on?" Ayako demanded as she, John and Fai entered the room, stopping in their tracks as they saw Naru and Mai floating. Mai looked up in a confused daze to see a smirk on Naru's face,

"Idiot, did you think that you could kill me like that? And even if you had it would be needless! I could just move to another body, but I suppose I should thank you. Killing yourself and this boy would mean less work for me later, now why don't we try this again." He laughed as he gathered Mai's body into his arm and floated up towards the ceiling, pausing by the second floor and looking down. "This should be high enough. You should hope to hit the ground head first, if you don't you'll die a very painful death." He warned as his grip on her slowly loosened. Mai looked up at him with tear filled eyes, tugging his jacket, _Naru, please come back!_ She begged, feeling him stop, his arms shaking as if there was a struggle, "What? No! Silence! Go back to the shadows!" Tohru shouted, his eyes tightly closed, his head bent down. Mai watched as he fought and suddenly his eyes opened, defiance burning in the deep blue orbs,

"Not her! You're not…having…her!" Naru shouted roughly as he fought,

"Silence! This body is mine!" Tohru cried,

"Not this time!" Naru replied confidently, glaring into space. Mai reached up and touched his cheek,

"Naru…" she breathed,

"Stay out of this girl!" Tohru shouted, eyes widening as Mai's lips pressed to his, his grip on her body tightening as they slowly floated down to the floor below, where they pulled back breathlessly and gazed at each other,

"You came back." Mai stated softly as Naru set her down, his hands resting on her shoulders lightly,

"I promised you…" he replied, _that's right, he'll always be here for me, to protect me and take care of me._ She thought with a smile as she jumped into his arms again, her lips pressed firmly to his until Monk-san gave an awkward cough. Mai and Naru pulled back, blushing as they remembered their audience. Monk-san and Ayako looked both triumphant and gleeful, John and Fai shared an awkward cross between embarrassment and being pleased for them while Masako hid her face behind her kimono sleeve, obviously with a mixture of sadness and anger, but there was someone missing,

"Lin-san!" Mai cried, leaving Naru and running up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. As she entered the room she saw Lin more or less where they had left him, slumped among the floorboards, blood quickly spreading in a puddle around his unmoving body. Mai went to him and fell to her knees, lightly touching his cold cheek, "Lin-san…" she breathed tearfully, slowly reaching down to feel his neck, praying that there would be a pulse, but as she felt his neck she couldn't find it, feeling panic rise within her as drew back, her body trembling,

"Mai?" Naru said as he entered, wrapping his arms around her as he knelt behind her,

"I-I can't-pulse-no pulse-not-Lin-san!" she cried in broken words, her breaths coming in gasps, her mind blank as she stared as Lin's body, feeling Naru hush her as he her rocked back and forth soothingly, his chest heaving as he tried to keep his composure.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

* * *

"Lin-san!" Ayako cried as she entered, John and Monk-san close behind. Ayako was at his side in an instant, feeling for a pulse, waiting with her eyes closed in focus. "Monk-san! John! Get him on the bed now!" she shouted as her eyes snapped open and she turned to Mai quickly, waving a hand in front of her eyes, watching her shiver and her ragged breathing. "She's in shock." She said to herself, raising a hand and slapping her hard across the face, "Mai! Snap out of it! Lin-san is still alive!" she shouted before turning back to Lin, who was now lying on the bed, "Naru, wrap her in some blankets and try to calm her down! Fai! I need hot water, disinfectant, needles, thread, small pliers, a sponge, cotton wool and some tissues! Masako, help him!" she ordered as she ripped the sleeve of her top and tied her hair back, pulling up her other sleeve before heading for the bathroom and washing her hands,

"What can I do?" Monk-san asked as she re-entered the room,

"Wash your hands, John too, I might need help." She replied as the two men entered the bathroom. Mai slowly came back to herself, registering the urgent activity around her and Naru's soothing words, _he's alive…Lin-san…he's not dead._ She thought dreamily, the activity around her slowly coming back into focus,

"Mai? Are you alright?" Naru asked as Fai and Masako returned laden down with all that they had been told to get. Around the bed Ayako ripped open Lin's shirt, frowning at the ugly wound, large chunks of wood still lodged in his flesh, as John wiped the pliers and needle with disinfectant thoroughly.

"Oh God, don't you dare Lin-san!" Ayako shouted as his breathing slowed, his breaths loud and heavy. "Monk-san, bring a light!" she ordered as she took the pliers and leaned down over the slowly bleeding wound. Monk-san grabbed the lamp from the bedside table, ripping off the lampshade and tossing it away,

"Sorry Fai, I'll replace it later." He added as he held the light close to the wound as Ayako delicately pinched a large splinter of wood in the wound and pulled back very slowly, a small drop of sweat trickling down her face as fresh blood seeped from the wound. John reached across with a tissue and wiped the sweat from Ayako's brow while reaching to the wound and dabbing the blood away with the cotton wool as Ayako went in again.

"Not now!" Masako whimpered pleadingly. Mai looked up at her shivering frame in confusion until she felt the presence herself.

"Naru! He's coming back!" Mai cried running to John, "Let me take over! You have to exorcise him! Keep him busy!" she said as she took the cotton wool, wiping the blood from the wound as John pulled his cross from his jumper and held it out, closing his eyes in concentration. It was odd to see him waiting to do an exorcism without his cassock or Bible; Mai just hoped he'd be able to do it. Ayako was slowly pulling the splinters out, working as quickly as she could without making the wound worse.

"Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy…" John began before he went flying into a wall, falling to the floor unconscious, the cross slipping from his grasp.

"Mai! Focus!" Ayako ordered as Mai looked over at John. Mai nodded and soaked up the blood, watching Ayako examining the wound closely, motioning occasionally for Mai to wipe more blood away so that she could get a closer look at the wound. "Alright…" she sighed quietly as she picked up the disinfectant and dripped it onto some cotton wool before lightly cleaning the wound. She lifted the threaded needle and leaned close to Lin's stomach, carefully sewing the wound shut,

"No! Naru!" Masako cried as Naru was pinned to the wall and choked by an invisible force,

"Mai! Take the light!" Monk-san ordered as he thrust the lamp into Mai's hands and turned, raising his hands and chanting quickly, the force holding Naru flying at Monk-san instead, hitting him hard in the stomach and then on the back, knocking him out.

"Not yet…not yet…" Ayako said desperately under her breath as she continued sewing, until that same invisible force pushed her away, pinning her to the ground and strangling her. Mai froze for an instant before taking up the needle and sewing, her stomach turning as she watched the needle piercing the skin, small droplets of blood leaking out, the thread turning red as she pulled it through, the wound slowly being closed.

**Why are you working so hard little girl?** Tohru's voice asked in her head. Mai found it harder to move suddenly, as if something were filling her body, but as she looked at how close she was to finishing she fought with all her might to keep moving, **why fight the inevitable? You won't save him; I'll kill him myself, with your hands! **He continued, slowly taking over Mai's body,

"No! I won't let you kill Lin-san!" she cried as she slowly fought to tie off the string before stepping back from the bed.

**Why? What is he to you? He is nothing! He isn't even your friend; he's just someone in the background!** Tohru taunted, delving into her mind, forcing up all of her past memories of Lin...

* * *

"I don't need your help!" the tall man said coldly as he slapped Mai's hand away, glaring up at her a blood dripped down his face.

* * *

"How's your leg?" Mai asked cheerfully as she looked up at Naru's tall assistant as he leaned on his crutches holding a small video camera beside the van as Naru looked though some notes. He looked down at her with a glare, causing her to back up, _please hurry and get here everyone!_ Mai thought nervously.

* * *

"Um, Lin-san?" Mai asked as she saw the tall man heading to his office with a file. He paused silently and looked down at her coldly, "Would you like some tea?" she asked,

"No." he snapped in reply as he went into his office and closed the door loudly, _jeez, no need to snap, I only asked!_ She thought feeling both annoyed and a little hurt.

* * *

"Here, I made cookies." Mai said cheerfully as she placed the plate on Lin's desk as he typed on the computer,

"I don't want any." He replied without turning around, _and here I was trying to call a truce…_Mai thought sadly as she left the room, leaving the cookies behind.

* * *

"Oh no! Lin-san I'm so sorry!" Mai apologised as she looked up from her place on the floor were she had fallen after running into him, the file he had been carrying was on the ground, the pages scattered all over the floor,

"Watch where you're going!" Lin snapped as he knelt down to gather the papers, not looking at her.

* * *

**What can you possibly see to save in him after all he's done to you, how can you defend him? Let me take over, he'll never upset you again…**Tohru tempted as he tried to take over again. _He's right…Lin-san has been short and rude sometimes…but…_

"No! You don't know Lin-san! Don't even try to judge him!" she cried as she thought of the man she had come to know...

* * *

"Mai!" Ayako cried as Mai was pulled along the wooden floor towards the hole,

"Ayako!" Mai screamed, seeing the door pulled open as Lin entered,

"Taniyama-san!" he exclaimed as he ran towards her as fast as he could, desperately reaching out for her, his fingers inches away from hers as she gave him a look of pure terror,

"Lin-san!" she cried fearfully as she slipped further away, seeing the look of horror on his face as she slid over the edge of the hole.

* * *

"Mai! Hold on! Lin-san's coming down for you!" Ayako called as a rope was dropped over the edge of the floor into the well. Mai waited nervously as Lin slid down to her and took a chair from Ayako, gently helping Mai up onto it, his hand securely on her waist. Mai blushed; his hands were so gentle even though he was usually cold,

"Alright, I've got you, start climbing." He said assuringly, watching as she took the rope and tried to pull herself up, "Put your feet on the wall and walk." Lin instructed as she put her foot on the wall. She felt his hand on her back, supporting her, pushing her up slowly. _Oh God! I'm wearing a skirt!_ She thought as she glanced back with a blush, but Lin wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the floor or the wall as he pushed her, looking anywhere but at her.

* * *

Mai gasped as she tripped, the cup slipping from her grasp and smashing on the floor. She closed her eyes, feeling herself stop in mid fall, a strong arm around her chest,

"Lin-san!" she said in surprise as she stepped back, "Thank you…uh! I better clean up!" she added with a blush as she began picking fragments up, a sharp edge cutting her hand. She gasped and closed her eyes, feeling someone take her hand. She opened her eyes to see Lin caressing the skin of her hand, his piercing eyes examining the deep cut before he took off his tie and wrapped it around her hand, "Wait! You'll ruin it!" Mai objected as she tried to pull her hand away, but Lin gripped her wrist tightly,

"Don't worry." He replied, his face looking gentle for the first time.

* * *

Mai watched as the ghost pulled the scythe from its mouth, the blood pouring up its face and over its eyes as it stared at her and Naru. Mai felt her body shake in fear, and then Naru's hand was on her wrist,

"Stay calm." He said. _Someone, anyone, John, Ayako, Monk-san, anyone!_ She cried inwardly, opening her eyes as the ghost disappeared and a flashlight shone down from above,

"Naru? Are you down there?" Lin called, _Lin-san!_ Mai thought gratefully.

* * *

_Oh God! Not again!_ Mai thought as she fell forward in the corridor bracing herself for the impact of the floor, but she never hit it, someone had their arm around her. Mai looked up to see Lin giving her a helpless sigh with a smile as he helped steady her, a file clutched securely in his hand,

"This is becoming quite a habit Taniyama-san." He said as she regained her footing, her breasts crushed into his arm, her hand on his chest for support as she looked up at him with a deep blush as he leaned down, his face only inches from hers, "I…um…" Mai stuttered, his lips so close to hers that she could feel his soft breath, and as she looked up his eyes were so kind, _I've never seen his eyes so…warm…_she thought as he stepped back,

"Could you bring me some tea please?" he asked as he put his hand on the handle of his door,

"Sure!" Mai replied brightly as she continued her way into the office. _He's quiet…but…Lin-san's a good person._ She thought cheerfully as she entered the kitchen, glad that she was making some progress with him.

* * *

"Come on, I'll drive you home." Lin-san said as he shook Mai's shoulder. Mai opened her eyes groggily, unsure of where she was or what was happening. _I was working…I should be working…_she thought tiredly as she was slowly helped to her feet and led across the office. Lin put his arm around her shoulders securely, pulling her to his chest as they walked down the stairs so that she wouldn't fall. Mai felt the air on her face and looked up to see the empty streets,

"What time is it?" she asked as Lin led her to the van, unlocked the door and helped her up,

"One O'clock." He replied before closing the door and walking to his side of the van. "Do you have your keys?" he asked as he started the van. Mai nodded and got out her keys, putting them on the dashboard so that she didn't have to look for them later before slowly closing her eyes, feeling Lin reach across and pull her seat belt on, _Lin-san…he really is a nice guy…_Mai thought tiredly as she fell asleep.

* * *

_Where…where am I?_ Mai wondered as she woke up. She was lying down on a bed, her bed she realised as she looked around the room, _but how did I get here?_ She wondered as she sat up, seeing a note on her dresser. 'I'll put the keys through the letterbox. See you tomorrow, Lin.' _He must have carried me all the way here from the van!_ She realised, knowing that she hadn't walked up herself.

* * *

"Did you stop him? Did I?" he asked, his eyes wide in fear. Monk-san looked at him, taken back by the unusual expression,

"No, he didn't. We got here in time." He replied, cradling Naru's naked body as he cried into Monk-san's shoulder uncontrollably. "Hey, it's okay, you're okay." Monk-san soothed as John grabbed Naru's robe and put it over his shoulders.

"Mai, are you alright?" Lin asked as he looked down at her. Mai pushed herself back and forced a smile, tears still running down her face,

"I'm fine." She replied shakily. "I just need a minute okay?" she added as she leaned into his arms again. He held her comfortingly and rubbed her back gently. After a while she heard Naru get to his feet and pick up the scattered papers.

"Come on. We have work to do." He said coldly, not even looking at Mai as he left the room. She felt Lin getting up and caught his sleeve,

"Thank you Lin-san." She murmured as she let him go, pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face. She felt the bed move and looked up to see Monk-san sitting next to her with his arms open. With a small smile Mai shifted closer and leaned on his chest, feeling his arms go round her, "How did you know?" she asked,

"Lin was watching the screens. We talked for a minute and when he looked he saw you and Naru in here and knew something wasn't right." He replied as he wiped her eyes gently.

* * *

"Of course things have been awkward between us! We got off on completely the wrong foot, but that doesn't mean that we hate each other! It doesn't mean Lin-san is a horrible person! He's kind and he cares! He does! And nothing you say will ever change that! So I won't let you hurt him!" she cried as she took control and felt him leave her body. "Where did he go?" she thought aloud as she looked around. Lin was too badly injured, but there were five others to choose from. She looked at Naru, who knelt on the floor holding his throat, but she knew that Tohru wasn't there. John was still down, _he must have hit his head really hard on the wall_, she thought as her eyes moved to Monk-san, who was slowly pushing himself up with a groan, looking around in confusion until he saw Ayako, throwing himself on his knees beside her,

"Ayako! Wake up!" he cried as he shook her shoulders, his look of horror slowly turning to relief as Ayako moaned and slowly opened her eyes, her hand reaching up shakily to touch Monk-san's cheek,

"T-Takigawa…" she sighed as he helped her to sit up, _that only leaves…_Mai looked at Masako just as she launched herself, her hands grabbing Mai's throat and pushing her to the floor,

"This one was much easier to convince! Women are so weak, especially when it comes to men!" Masako mocked as she banged Mai's head against the floor, a painful lump forming from the constant abuse. Mai reached up and took Masako's hands gently,

"Masako…get a hold of yourself! I know you're not like this!" Mai urged, seeing Masako laugh as she leaned down,

"It's no good, you can't reach her now, she's lost in her own fantasy of revenge…revenge for the pain you caused her!" she mocked. Mai pushed Masako back and glared at her,

"Masako wouldn't do that! She might think it, but she'd never hurt anyone!" Mai cried, and suddenly Tohru wavered and let Masako go as if he had been burned, "Masako?" Mai said uncertainly as she grabbed the girl's shoulders and looked at her closely,

"I know Naru would never forgive me if I killed you…he helped me to overcome it." She replied with a weak smile before falling forwards into Mai's arms.

"We have to do something!" Monk-san said as he and Ayako got to their feet slowly. There was a loud groan and John was back on his feet, lifting the cross into his hand he prayed again. _I don't know if there's anything I can do…if Lin were here I know he and his Shikigami could do something!_ Mai crawled over to the bed and knelt beside Lin's unconscious form,

"I don't know if you can hear me, or even understand, but we need help! I know I don't have any strong powers like Lin, but…if there's something you can do, then please, use my strength and do it!" Mai begged, feeling something brush against her cheek. It was a white light, a very soft and gentle light that caressed her almost in an assuring way, and then the other four joined it.

**We know you Taniyama-san…our contractor sees you as a trusted friend. The feelings he feels for you, we also feel, and we know we can trust you, therefore we will allow you to use us as you will.** A soft voice said, and she knew it was the Shikigami speaking, _well…I got what I asked for, but what do I do?_ She wondered,

"Um…can you stop Tohru?" she asked, feeling the Shikigami brushing up against her,

**We can, but it may be harmful to you…we require much energy for attacks of this sort, even Lin is usually drained to the point of fainting, and your energy is already low…if we use your energy you may not survive at this point, are you willing to take that risk?** They asked, brushing her comfortingly, _if I don't do this…everyone could die…I can't just sit back and let that happen!_ She thought as she held out her hand, feeling one of the Shikigami in her hand, almost like a small inquisitive pet looking up at her.

"I am." She replied, _for the others, for Naru, I can die._ She thought as the Shikigami moved up her arm and brushed against her cheek.

**We knew that you would say that. Your self-sacrificing and caring nature is one of the things that drew him to you. You are a very brave human Taniyama-san.** They said before leaving her and heading for the centre of the room, a shrill sound filling the air, though it seemed that no one but Mai could hear it, and suddenly the room fazed, everything looked like it was in negative, all the dark colours looked white and the light colours look dark green, but it was also hazy, like wind was blowing the edges, and in the centre were the five Shikigami in a circle, all of them looked like balls of white fire, and in the centre of the circle was a clear unfazed image of Tohru on his knees clutching his head. _Is this what Lin-san sees when the Shikigami are working?_ She wondered. She watched the Shikigami attack, they were ruthless, ripping holes through every inch of Tohru's body, his cries of agony ringing in Mai's ears, tears streaming down her cheeks as her energy was slowly drained away._ So I'm really going to die…I can barely keep my eyes open!_ She thought as her body weakened and she slid down to the floor, her vision blurring, _I can't hold on…I hope my energy is…enough._

"Mai." Naru's voice said, but Naru was on the other side of the room, and as she looked up the face she saw was in focus, _am I dreaming?_ She wondered as the Naru before her smiled sadly, "You really are a fool." He said tearfully as he touched her cheek lightly, "I wanted you to live above all else." He added. Mai reached up her hand and stroked his cheek,

"I know." She replied with a smile, _I wished he'd said the words before I died._ She thought as she let her eyes close, the last of her energy leaving her, _my chest…it's burning…it hurts…so much…_


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER - see chapter 1

* * *

Mai stood in a blinding light, she couldn't see anything except pure white, _where am I? What's going on?_ She wondered as she was drawn forward, _no…I don't want to go that way!_ She thought stepping back firmly and turning around, seeing dark nothingness behind her, _I don't know what to do…I need help!_ She thought,

"Mai." Naru's voice said, and turning she saw him standing before her, blocking out some of the light, and then she realised,

"I'm dead aren't I…" she said, Naru giving her a troubled look,

"Not yet, but soon…your body is shutting down, your consciousness has been released." He replied as she leaned her head on his chest, "This is where you make a choice." He added as he looked down at her,

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she looked up at him, "You weren't dead, so why are you here?" she continued, concern shining in her eyes as she gripped the front of his jacket,

"Don't worry, Naru is safe." He replied,

"I don't understand…" she said in confusion as she released him and stepped back, Naru's face smiling in understanding as he took her hands in his.

"Just call me a spirit guide." He decided,

"So…you're just something I imagined?" she asked,

"No, not exactly, but it doesn't matter. What matters is the choice you make." He replied, swiftly changing the subject, "You can step into the light and move on, or you can linger in the human realm as a spirit." He explained, stepping aside so that she could look into the light clearly,

"What's on the other side?" she asked fearfully as she looked up at him,

"I don't know…I haven't crossed that line…there is something left that I must do." He replied kindly, feeling Mai grip his sleeve,

"Is there no way that I can go back? Do I really have to die?" she asked desperately, her eyes filling with tears as she looked up at him, _I didn't think it would be so hard to leave._ She thought regretfully, though as she thought of what would have happened without her sacrifice she felt ashamed of her previous selfishness.

"There isn't much hope…your body is shutting down…your only option would be to stay here, but you will gradually be drawn in unless you choose." He replied, "And I cannot linger, even now the light draws me. I must go." He said, feeling Mai take his hand,

"Wait! I might never see you again, and I don't even know who you are…" she managed before being cut off by his lips, but as she kissed him she knew it wasn't Naru, though his scent was similar and his lips were soft, his kiss very innocent, just a soft touch of the lips, nothing more.

"Just know that I am someone who cares…for both of you." he replied as he backed away, fading slowly,

"Wait! If that's really what you look like then you're…" she said, her eyes widening as he disappeared. Mai looked around; other than the light and the dark there was nothing, and the only sound was that of her own breathing. _I feel so alone right now…what should I do? Should I wait and see what happens, choose to stay or just step into the light?_ She wondered helplessly, feeling her body pulled closer to the light, _oh god I'm really going to die! I want to see him again! I want to see Naru!_ She cried inwardly,

**Mai! Mai wake up!** Monk-san's voice cried, but it sounded far away, and it echoed all around her, _Monk-san? He's not dead is he? No…he'd be here if he were…but that means I can hear him!_ She thought with a smile as she looked up, seeing a small speck of light, _is that where I came from?_ She wondered.

**Mai!** **Come on! Don't you die on me! Damnit I have none of the right equipment! I can't save her! **Ayako's voice cried,

**There must be something you can do!** Masako cried, **please, I'll do anything!** She added tearfully,

**I'll pray for her to find her way back.** John added,

**Mai, don't you leave me, not now!** Naru's voice whispered. _Naru…I…I don't want to leave!_ She cried inwardly as she looked up,

"You really don't want to leave?" a voice asked. She turned and came face to face with Mike and Eishi, both smiling in understanding. "We still have a debt to pay to you, you saved me!" Mika added as she took Mai's hands in her, "I can never repay you for that, but perhaps I can pay a little." She continued as she looked up,

**No! Mai! Breathe Damnit!** Ayako cried,

"We're running out of time, hurry." Eishi said, his hands on Mai's shoulders, "We will pass on after this, but first we will send you back…it will be painful…and once you're back the only thing keeping you there for a long time will be your own will…are you willing to do this?" Eishi asked. Mai nodded, certainty in her eyes, though Eishi looked reluctant,

"She can do it. I know she can." Mika said with certainty as she touched Eishi's arm, "She has my blood in her veins after all." She added with a smile, cracking Eishi's resolution. He sighed and nodded, placing a hand on Mai's forehead, Mika's resting on top of his lightly,

"Close your eyes Mai." He ordered. Mai nodded and closed her eyes, feeling her body warming as she stood there,

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling her chest heat until it burned, the pain was unbearable, her whole body was on fire, but her chest hurt most of all, she felt like screaming, but couldn't open her mouth, she couldn't move, not a muscle. _Help, somebody! Naru, Monk-san, Ayako, anyone! Help! _She cried inwardly, seeing nothing but black.

* * *

"Mai, you're not alone, don't worry." Lin's voice soothed, his hand stroking her forehead gently, _Lin-san! It seems he's always there when we need him._ She thought fondly, feeling a little better now that she knew she wasn't alone. "You'll be alright Mai, you'll be able to move again very soon." He continued, his hand still gently stroking her face. _He's so warm…_she thought, feeling his hand on the back of her neck, tilting her head backwards, reaching up and easing her mouth open, and then his lips were pressed to hers, _what? What's going on? Lin-san, what are you doing?_ She thought, feeling nervous, confused, scared, but also a little excited, _what am I thinking? Cut it out!_ She scolded, but there was nothing she could do about it, her body wouldn't move an inch. Mai lay helpless as Lin's lips pressed against hers, his hand caressing the back of her neck, _what is he doing?_ She wondered, feeling something enter through her mouth and spread throughout her body, it wasn't a physical thing, and it wasn't air, but she could feel it, and slowly she was able to open her eyes, her vision blurred at first, but then she began to focus and saw Lin's face inches from her own, his eyes closed in concentration, until slowly he opened his eyes, his lips softly kissing hers before pulling away. "Don't try to move too much, your body needs time to regain its strength." He said,

"Lin-san…thank you, but…what was that?" she asked weakly, turning her head as he sat in the chair beside her,

"I transferred some of my Chi to you." he replied. Mai looked around the room, it was white and dull, and as she looked around she found she had a drip attached to her arm,

"When did we go to the hospital?" she asked in confusion,

"Three weeks ago." He replied, "You've been unconscious all this time. The doctors didn't think you would wake up, so once I was strong enough I decided to help your recovery along." He explained briefly, feeling her hand touch his lightly,

"Thank you, thank you so much Lin-san." She said, feeling Lin take her hand and stroke the skin gently,

"Go to sleep Mai." He said kindly.

* * *

"Mai…Mai!" Naru's voice said. Mai opened her eyes to find herself completely healthy and able to move. She got to her feet and saw Naru beside her,

"I'm asleep aren't I." She said, receiving a nod, "Thank you, you're always helping me…but I don't understand why, why not appear to Naru?" she asked in confusion, but he just looked at her with a smile,

"Because you're the one." He replied ambiguously, smiling and placing a finger on her lips gently, "You're the one he fell in love with, the one he wants to keep safe, the one I want to keep safe." He continued, stroking her cheek gently,

"Who are you?" she asked as she looked into his caring eyes,

"I am your spirit guide, you need know no more than that." He replied.

* * *

_I woke up_. Mai thought in disappointment as she opened her eyes, feeling someone beside her, leaning on the bed. Looking down she saw Naru, his arms folded with his head resting on them, his head turned towards her, his eyes closed. _Naru…how long has he been here?_ She wondered as she stroked his silken locks,

"Mai…" he sighed, his eyes still closed,

"I'm here." she replied soothingly, watching as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her, his blue eyes tired and confused, "Come here." she added as she shifted over and turned on her side, pulling his arm gently as he got up and climbed on the bed beside her,

"You're okay." He observed tiredly, "I'm glad." He added, burying his head in her shoulder as he slipped his arm around her and closed his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER - see chapter one

* * *

Mai woke up to find Naru gone and Lin in the chair beside her with a cup of tea. He looked at her softly as she gazed at him sleepily, pulling herself slowly into a sitting position.

"Good morning Taniyama-san." He said warmly as he set his cup down.

"Morning Lin-san…what time is it?" she asked as she looked around, seeing the sun out of the window, high in the sky, not a cloud in sight,

"Getting on for twelve O'clock. Naru will be back soon." He added, seeing Mai's relieved smile as she leaned against the pillows, her eyes catching sight of the bright flowers on the table beside her, "I brought them for Fai; he'll visit later." Lin replied to her silent question.

"Lin-san! Is it safe? Is he really…" she began urgently as she looked at Lin, but he didn't have to answer, the look in his eyes was enough to tell her, _he's gone…he's really gone…it's over._ She thought, quickly remembering her other troubles, _for now,_ she added, the relief fading quickly as she thought of what was to come.

"Taniyama-san? Mai…are you alright?" Lin asked in concern, seeing her eyes fade, fear slowly edging its way in,

"I-I'm fine Lin-san." She replied with a forced smile, feeling Lin take her hand gently,

"If there is something wrong…or if you need help, you know I'm here…we all are." He assured gently, _Lin-san…_Mai thought as she returned the light grip on her hand, caressing his skin lightly; _his skin is so soft…_

"Thank you." she said gratefully, leaning closer to him as he leaned closer to her, closing her eyes as he came closer, until the door opened,

"Mai-chan! How are you this…were we interrupting something?" Monk-san asked in confusion as he looked at the two only inches apart, Mai blushing furiously as she looked over at Monk-san while Lin merely sat back and lifted his teacup,

"Not as all." Lin replied simply, _what happened? I was really going to…kiss Lin-san…but…it's not right! I love Naru! _She thought, the blush fading from her cheeks as she sat deep in thought, pulled back to reality as Ayako sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on her forehead,

"Well, no temperature, are you feeling alright?" she asked in concern as she examined the younger girl, noting she looked slightly pale, though it was to be expected as she recovered her strength.

"Yes, I'm fine." Mai replied brightly as Monk-san hopped onto the other side of the bed and ruffled her hair,

"See, I told you she was just spacing out." He said with a grin, looking at the door as it opened and Naru re-entered in fresh clothes with two cups of tea, handing one to Mai before standing beside Lin with the other, leaning on the wall. "So, when will you be out?" Monk-san continued as Mai sipped the hot tea,

"I don't know…" Mai replied; _will they already be waiting at the house when I get out? Are they there right now? What if they come here? _She thought suddenly, her eyes widening as the door opened, revealing John and Masako,

"You sure you're okay?" Monk-san asked in concern as she jerked and gasped,

"Fine…just startled." She added, trying to join in as Monk-san began to joke around, annoying Ayako to no end. The room was filled with laughter again; as it had been the other times she'd visited the hospital, only now it was Mai in the bed rather than Naru. Eventually the nurse came and ushered them out, but as he was about to leave Mai suddenly grabbed Monk-san's top, her knuckles white, her eyes desperate as she looked up at him,

"Uh, could you give us a few minutes?" he asked as the others filed out, Naru's worried glance falling on Mai as he hesitantly left with Lin. Monk-san waited until the door was shut before he turned back to Mai, who still had a firm grip on his top, "What's up Mai-chan? You've been a little jumpy today, did something happen?" he asked in concern as he stroked her cheek gently, his eyes widening as she buried herself in his chest, his arms pulling her close as she cried uncontrollably. A few moments later the door opened quietly, the nurse putting her head round the door, nodding and backing out at a sign from Monk-san, "Hey, it's okay, hush…Mai-chan, shh…" he soothed as he rocked her back and forth stroking her hair. Gradually he felt her calm down and relax, her eyes were closed as he looked down, so he gently leaned over the bed, lying her down gently, kissing her forehead lightly as he pulled the covers up to her chin, his hand stroking her hair softly, but as he turned to leave he felt her grab his hand, and her eyes were on him again,

"Don't go…" she said pleadingly, relaxing as he sat down beside her,

"Why Mai? What are you scared of? Naru didn't do anything did he?" he demanded suddenly, relieved when Mai shook her head, "Not Lin-san!" he said in disbelief, again relieved as she shook her head, "Then what Mai?" he asked, but Mai shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, "Okay…you don't want to tell me, that's fine, I'll stay right here." he assured, tightening his grip on her hand slightly, smiling at her assuringly as she turned on her side to face him and closed her eyes, slowly relaxing until she fell asleep.

* * *

She woke up the next morning to find Monk-san still beside her, his hand still in hers, though the grip was lax where he had fallen asleep, his face almost as carefree sleeping as it was most of the time he was awake. _Monk-san…you really stayed here all night?_ She thought gratefully,

"Mm…ohhhhhh." He groaned as he slowly sat up, reaching around to the back of his neck with a grimace,

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" Mai asked guiltily as the pained expression faded and he gave her a grin,

"Don't worry, I'm used to this, happens all the time when Ayako gets mad and I have to sleep on the sofa." He replied assuringly, "Uh! That is, uh, I…damn." He stuttered with a small blush as Mai smiled brightly,

"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret." She replied, _though it wasn't much of a secret…_she thought as she remembered Monk-san's reaction to seeing Ayako injured, _he really does care about her…good for you Monk-san!_

"Thanks." He laughed sheepishly as he stood up and stretched, opting to sit on the bed rather than the chair, "Now, I think we need to talk." He said more seriously, his eyes filled with concern,

"It's nothing I…I just didn't want to be alone…" Mai replied quickly, seeing Monk-san's stern eyes as he frowned at her,

"Mai, you were more than uncomfortable, you were terrified! And I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong!" he argued, watching as Mai looked at her lap and fiddled with the bed cover, "You know you can tell me." he added as he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. _I shouldn't tell him…there's nothing he can do! If I let him know he'll try to protect me, he'll get hurt! I'm so scared right now! _She thought, her eyes filling with tears again,

"Monk-san!" she cried as she buried her face in his chest, breathing in his comforting scent. She felt Monk-san hold her, his hand stroking her hair softly,

"What is it Mai? Tell me!" he urged as he looked down at her tear stained face. She took his wrists gently and looked up at him as he cradled her face in his hands and wiped her tears,

"Monk-san…I'm in terrible…terrible trouble." She began, shifting over as Monk-san moved to sit next to her, leaning his back against the headboard, his arm around her shoulder protectively, "My mother had no family, she was an only child and lost her parents, and my father…the only family he had left were two brothers…I never met them, my father protected me from them…they're terrible people…they buy and sell young women, even children sometimes. They also run brothels, their main on is in Kyoto, that's where they live…they're my only legal guardians and…" she trailed off, shifting closer to Monk-san,

"And if they come for you they'll stick you in a brothel." He finished,

"Or worse." She added with a shiver.

"Don't worry, I won't let them take you." Monk-san assured,

"But it's legal! There's nothing you can do!" she replied urgently,

"I can threaten to let slip their little business to the police." He suggested,

"You can't! What they're doing is huge! The chief of police is their biggest supporter! If they get arrested they'll be set free straight away! You'll just get hurt!" she said desperately, "You can't get involved…I'll just have to…" she trailed off, pulling her knees up to her chest,

"If you think I am going to sit back and let that happen you have another thing coming!" Monk-san snapped, tightening his grip on her, "I'll never let that happen." He added darkly. Mai shrank into Monk-san as the door opened, revealing Naru and Fai.

"Fai! How's the house?" Mai asked as he came over with a box of chocolate and handed it to her, receiving a blush and thanks in return,

"Fine, thanks to you." he replied gratefully, "I did stop by last night, but visiting times were over, and the nurse said you were a little upset." He added in concern.

"Oh, I'm fine." She replied with a forced smile,

"Is that why you're burying yourself in Monk-san's side?" Naru asked sarcastically, masking his concern with indifference,

"Naru, I need to talk to you outside." Monk-san said as he got off the bed and walked to the door, "Fai, you stay here okay?" he added, receiving a nod in return. While they were gone Mai listened as Fai told her about the house, how the servants had returned, the snow was gone and he had started clearing the garden to plant new plants in the spring.

"Mai, where is your house key?" Naru asked as he re-entered. Mai looked around,

"I'm not sure, if it's not in my clothes it should be back at Fai's house with the rest of my stuff." She replied, watching as Naru hunted through her clothes, obviously coming to the conclusion that the key wasn't there.

"Monk-san is going back to your house to take your stuff over to Ayako's house." Naru said as he left the room, _Monk-san…Naru…Ayako…they're all protecting me…_ she thought, her chest feeling warm and light at the thought. Naru re-entered and sat beside her as Fai took his leave, saying he would see her again once she got out of the hospital. "Speaking of getting out, I spoke to the doctor and he thinks you'll be able to leave tomorrow, though he'll want you to take it easy for a while." Naru said, taking her hand gently,

"That's good I guess…" Mai replied, her thoughts shifting to her uncles, who were sure to turn up at some point, if they hadn't already. Mai felt the bed shift as Naru sat beside her, pulling her into his arms. _Naru…he smells so different to Monk-san…and his touch is so different from Lin-san…Lin's skin is so soft…_she thought as she closed her eyes,

"Don't worry…we'll protect you…I'll protect you." He assured, _Lin and Monk-san said the same…they really do care for me…I wonder what Lin's doing…Lin? Why am I thinking about him again? I love Naru!_ She scolded, blushing as she hid her face in Naru's chest, "What's wrong Mai?" Naru asked,

"Nothing, just hold me for a while." She replied, feeling him move to lie down, pulling her with him so that he could comfortably hold her in his arms. She leaned her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent, _Lin smells really light, he just has a hint of something natural…like pine, but Naru…he's so much stronger and darker…_she thought as her arm snaked over his waist.


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER - see chapter one

* * *

"Alright, come on in." Ayako said as she opened the front door. Mai stepped into the large house, _yeah right, that's an understatement! This house is huge!_ Mai thought as she took off her backpack and put it on one of the numerous boxes in the hall, all of which contained her belongings.

"Wow, you did all of this yourself Monk-san?" Mai asked as she looked at all the boxes, some labelled 'kitchen' others 'clothing' and then there were others that she wasn't so keen to delve into such as 'loft' and 'father's room' that were stacked up further back.

"No, Lin-san and John helped, even Fai once he'd attended to his own business. No one was there when we went in, and there was no sign of forced entry, though since technically the deeds to the house will pass to your uncles until you hit eighteen they would have been able to get the keys from anyone." He replied to her silent question. _Well at least they weren't there when Monk-san and the others turned up,_ she thought in relief, _they won't leave me forever, especially since the house will go into my name one day, but at least for now…_

"Let's get you settled, come on, I have a room for you; you'll love it! I know!" Ayako said excitedly, pulling Mai towards the stairs. As they went Mai looked around, the whole house was wood; even the floor didn't have carpet and as she walked by a window she saw a huge garden filled with cherry trees, which would be beautiful in blossom season. On the second floor, over looking the back garden Mai was ushered into a huge room. There was a four-poster double bed, wood with white curtains and white sheets, the floor space was huge and there was a set of delicate French doors leading to a large balcony. Mai went to it and looked through the doors, beyond the trees she could see mountains, and there were hot springs behind the house too, Mai could see the steam from the water and the outline of the pool.

"Ayako, it's…beautiful…" Mai said breathlessly, the sky slowly reddening in the distance over the mountains as sunset set in. Ayako joined her at the balcony doors and put her hands on her shoulders gently,

"I told you you'd love it." She replied brightly, straightening the white curtains, of which there were three pairs, one for the French doors and the two others on either side for the large windows.

"I'll start bringing your stuff up, Ayako, why don't you take her to the hot springs? I'm sure Mai must be tired after the journey here." Monk-san suggested as he put down one of the bedroom boxes by the door. Mai readily agreed and went with Ayako to see the springs. There was a large one just down the path from the house in the back garden, which Mai slowly walked around, stepping from rock to rock around the edge of the pool.

"This is great Ayako!" Mai said as she slipped her shoes and socks off, dipping her feet in the warm water and slowly lowering herself to sit on the rock.

"Isn't it? Hey, what do you say we come out here later tonight? It should be a clear night, you can really see the stars out here." Ayako replied as she too slipped out of her shoes and sat beside Mai, who nodded in reply to the earlier question, _I wonder how long I have left here…_she wondered as she leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky.

"Hey! We have company!" Monk-san shouted from the balcony of Mai's room. As Mai looked up she saw Lin and John on the balcony, soon joined by Fai. Ayako and Mai walked bare foot back to the house, leaving their shoes by the door,

"Hey, can I get you a drink of some sort?" Ayako asked as she put her socks in the linen basket and Mai followed suit. John looked up briefly from the box he was about to pick up,

"Uh, tea would be nice, I'll check with the others too." He replied gratefully as he hefted the box and headed to the stairs. _I wonder where Naru and Masako are…_Mai wondered, not liking the burn the flamed up in her chest when she thought of the two of them being absent, _look, just because they're absent at the same time, doesn't mean that they're together, and even if they are Naru chose me! He's stayed with me this far…_she thought.

"Mai, are you alright?" Lin asked as he entered the kitchen, causing Mai to jump in surprise, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he added,

"Oh, no! It's fine, don't worry!" Mai replied brightly, blushing as Lin stepped closer and paused with her by the counter, telling Ayako that the others would all like tea, _he's so tall and lean…I wonder what it would feel like to be lifted up by him…_Mai wondered, blushing as Lin looked down at her. "Oh yes, thank you very much for helping with the boxes." She thanked with a small bow, feeling Lin put a hand on her head lightly,

"Don't worry about it." He replied with a smile, stepping back as the front door opened and Naru walked in with a small stack of paper. He headed into the kitchen without looking up and stopped beside Mai and Lin,

"Naru! Tea?" Ayako asked as she opened the cupboard for cups.

"Yes, please." He replied, still reading through the papers. Mai watched him and waited, tapping her foot after a while when he apparently didn't notice her. Glancing up at Lin she saw him holding back a smile, quite unsuccessfully as he looked down at her, knowing she was getting worked up, at the same time knowing that Naru also knew it. Mai stopped tapping her foot and was about to tell Naru to stop being rude and ignoring her when he lowered the papers and looked at her, causing her to blush as he laid a finger on her lips to silence her. In a moment of devilry Mai stood on tiptoe, her hands gently gripping the front of his jacket as she leaned close to his ear,

"You know that won't shut me up…you should try something else…" she suggested quietly, seeing a glint in his blue eyes as she pulled back.

"Oh, Naru-chan, I didn't know you'd arrived." Monk-san greeted as he entered the kitchen. "That's the last of it, well for the bedroom at least. We'll put the rest in the basement tomorrow." He added as Ayako handed him a cup of tea. Mai took her tea gratefully and handed Naru him,

"Well, I think I'll go unpack." She said, glancing at Naru as she left and heading upstairs to her room, where she looked at all of the boxes as well as her furniture from the bedroom. As she was reading the label of the final box the door opened and Naru slipped inside, bolting the door behind him before walking to Mai and putting his arms around her, his lips meeting hers softly. Mai pulled back and put her arms around his neck, slowly leading him back to the bed, where she allowed herself to fall, pulling Naru with her. Naru smirked as he leaned down and kissed her neck, nipping and biting lightly as he unbuttoned her shirt, sliding it down her shoulders. Mai shifted back on the bed so that her legs weren't hanging off the end while Naru knelt straddling her hips. Mai reached up and opened his shirt, using it to pull him down to her so that she could gain access to his neck, biting down hard, hearing him growl in her ear, the sound sending shivers down her spine. She felt his teeth pulling her bra strap up and then releasing it, the strap hitting her shoulder, leaving it stinging slightly. "Was that a hint?" Mai purred as she allowed Naru to pull her up, giving him access to her bra-clips, which Naru deftly unclipped and tossed away, laying her down gently as he kissed his way down to her breasts, feeling her writhe beneath him, her hands slipping up his back beneath his shirt, pulling him closer to her, one of her hands reached up and curled in his hair. Naru slowly moved away from her chest, his fingers slowly tugging at the zip of her skirt, climbing off her as he slid the garment down her legs, pulling the panties off with it, kissing his was across her stomach before going lower, flicking his tongue over her entrance, continuing his ministrations as Mai clutched the sheets moaning. Naru felt a tug on the collar of his shirt, allowing himself to be guided up to Mai's lips, where he kissed her deeply, feeling her hands slid down his stomach to work slowly on his belt. Naru groaned as she loosened his trousers and pulled his member free, slowly stroking back and forth as he carefully pulled off his pants and trousers, allowing her to position him at her entrance, her legs moving up to wrap around his waist securely, slowly edging him forwards, Mai's eyes closing as she felt his member slowly filling her until he was fully sheathed in her warmth. She kept him there she a while, her legs tightly keeping him in place, enjoying the torture she was thrusting on them both until finally releasing and allowing him to pull back. She sighed as he pulled back, pausing when he was almost out and staying there, teasing her as she had teased him, waiting until she mover her hips up to him, at which point he thrust back into her, pulling back at a slow and measured pace, pinning her wrists down and kissing her neck, not allowing her to speed up the pace, enjoying her helpless pleading moans, keeping the pace slow even as they reached orgasm, though it took all of his self control. It was worth the wait though; the wave of pleasure was longer and fuller than any they had experienced before, the slowness of the thrusts drawing it out that much longer. Once it was over Naru rolled off and collapsed beside her in exhaustion,

"I'm glad you're settling in here." he said, his breathing heavy as he lay beside her looking up at the white canopy, feeling Mai's arm slip around his waist,

"So am I." She replied, _though I don't know how long it will last…_she thought, jumping as there was a knock on the door,

"Naru! Mai! We're going down to the hot spring! Get changed and come join us!" Monk-san called through the door. Mai looked at Naru and smiled remembering the last time Monk-san had interrupted them, and seeing the smirk she got in return it seemed he too remembered,

"Okay, we'll be right out!" Mai called as she got to her feet and went to rummage through some boxes,

"Masako just arrived too, do you have a spare swimsuit?" Monk-san asked through the door,

"Yeah, hold on while I find it!" Mai replied as Naru pulled on his clothes. Mai pulled out two swimsuits, glad that they had been in the second box she opened, and pulled one on before opening the door and handing the other to Monk-san, who led Naru off to find him some swim wear. Mai grabbed her white dressing gown and slipped her feet into her slippers before heading down to the springs. When she got there Ayako, John, Lin and Fai were already in the water, candles placed around the rocks for light as well as a cool box full of bottled drink. _Suddenly I don't feel so comfortable…_Mai thought as she looked at the occupants of the pool, Ayako wore a dark red bikini, the upper half of her body out of the water where she sat on a rock near the surface of the pool, the other men all had their torsos on display, all of them well toned to varying degrees, Lin's being the most muscular of the three.

"What are you waiting for Mai? Hang your night gown on a branch and get in here!" Ayako urged, "And pick a drink, I have alcoholic and non-alcoholic." She added as Mai slowly made her way around to where Ayako was, standing beside the tree, hesitating to pull off her gown. "Come on Mai!" Ayako prompted. _Okay, just do it, take it off and get in the water as quickly as possible._ She thought encouragingly, slowly opening the gown and slipping it off, hanging it on a branch before hurrying to Ayako's side and slipping into the water, blushing as she caught Lin's eyes on her, _I know that look…_she thought, thinking back to the night of the ball when Naru had first loosened her bodice, she blushed at the memory. "Here, try this, you like pineapple right?" Ayako said as she handed a cold bottle to Mai, who nodded and sipped the liquid.

"Masako-chan, welcome!" Fai called, sounding quite tipsy as he raised his bottle with a grin, "Come in, come in, sit over her next to John!" he added with a wink, causing John to blush and Masako to hide her face behind the sleeve of Monk-san's robe. Monk-san and Naru were just behind, both wearing dark swimming trunks, _Monk-san just beat Lin in the muscle department,_ Mai thought with a blush as she looked at Monk-san's well built chest as he slipped into the water between Mai and Ayako. Naru climbed down beside Mai, his hand stroking her leg beneath the water,

"You look good." He whispered as he leaned next to her ear briefly, smirking as she blushed, _maybe I shouldn't have worn this…_she thought, feeling quite self-conscious about the low-cut white costume with a large circle in the centre where her stomach was uncovered. Masako slipped out of her robe and stepped into the water beside John at Fai's insistence, both blushing as they caught the other's eye, John looking guiltily off into the woods while Masako just looked down at the water. Luckily the black costume Masako was wearing was a standard all in one that covered her nicely, Mai hadn't thought Masako would appreciate a revealing costume, _seems I was right…_she added as the dark haired girl sank deeper into the water so that the water washed over her breasts, leaving only her chest visible.

"This is nice…so, I guess this is case closed." Monk-san said conversationally as he sat back, a bottle of beer in one hand and his other arm round Ayako's waist, meanwhile Ayako leaned her head on his chest and looked up at the stars, sipping from a smaller bottle,

"Yes, it seems so." Lin replied, where he also drank a fruit drink similar to Mai and Ayako's, his eyes resting on Mai as she looked up, causing a blush to cross her cheeks briefly, her eyes flicking to Naru to find him looking at her curiously. She shifted closer to him, his arm moving from her leg to her back, and Lin's eyes quickly shifted to his bottle.

"I wonder what will come up next…" Ayako wondered aloud as she shifted closer to Monk-san, _a couple of human slave traders I expect,_ Mai thought, not daring to say it aloud, _I want to enjoy tonight…I could be gone tomorrow,_ she thought, leaning back on Naru and looking up, the stars, as Ayako had said, clear and shining in the sky above.

"As a matter of fact we have our next case. Two clients would like to visit the office tomorrow; they haven't given any details of the case yet, we'll hear that tomorrow." Naru replied as his hand crept around to caress Mai's thigh gently, edging a little closer to her. _I feel so tired…_Mai thought as she leaned back on Naru and closed her eyes.

"Hey Mai, you feeling tired? Maybe you should go back to the house, it is getting late and the steam in here does make some people feel faint, especially those of a small build." Ayako said worriedly as she moved around to Mai to get a closer look at her, "She's swooning, someone take her back to the house." She concluded, moving aside as Monk-san got to his feet and leaned down to pick her up.

"I got her." He said as he lifted her sleeping form into his arms and stepped easily out of the water,

"I'll come with you." Naru added as he got to his feet, "I'm going to turn in for the night." He said, grabbing Mai's gown and slippers before heading to the house with Monk-san. Somewhere along the way Mai fell asleep, shivering slightly in the cold.

* * *

"Mai." Naru's voice said quietly, a hand shaking her shoulder. Mai groaned and opened her eyes sleepily to find herself on a chair in her room, a large towel wrapped around her. "Time to get ready for bed." He soothed his hands rubbing the soft towel over her skin gently.

"Mm…" Mai replied tiredly, allowing Naru to pull her to her feet and pull off her swimsuit, too tired to feel embarrassed as he dried her and took her to the bed, slipping his shirt onto her and buttoning it up,

"Alright, time to sleep." He said gently as he pulled the covers over her and climbed on the bed beside her, his arm resting firmly across her waist as she slipped to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER - see chapter one

* * *

"So, who are these clients?" Monk-san asked as Naru opened the office door,

"That would be us." A gruff voice replied. Naru's eyes snapped to the couch, where two middle-aged men sat, both wearing dark casual clothes. Monk-san stepped in ahead of Naru as everyone else appeared in the doorway.

"Who are you?" he demanded as he stepped forward, "And how did you get in here?" he added as he leaned on the back of on of the sofas glaring at them, but before they could reply their eyes turned away to the door, where Mai stood, a look of terror on her face,

"Not you, not now…" she whispered pleadingly as she backed into the walls, her hands covering her face. Lin and Naru stepped in front of her protectively while Ayako went to Mai and put her arms around her protectively, and Masako stood firmly at her side while John stood in the doorway.

"Let's not be hasty. I am Haru Taniyama, and this is my brother, Shinta Taniyama. We are Mai's legal guardians, and as such, we have come here to collect her." Haru, the older of the two, said, a hint of warning in his voice as his gaze stopped on Monk-san, who was close to recklessly attacking the men in front of him.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Monk-san said firmly, stepping forward and sizing up Haru, who was about his size with short black hair,

"There's no need for violence you know…" the younger man said, who was more John's size, his hair the same light brown as Mai's and his eyes, like Mai's were soft and gentle, it was hard to believe him capable of any evil.

"We are her legal guardians, and we will take her, whether it is with or without police involvement is your decision." Haru threatened, stepping closer to Monk-san so that they were eye level, both glaring hard.

"H-Haru, there's no need for that." Shinta objected as he laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, falling to the floor as Haru backhanded him across the face.

"Keep out of this you fool!" he scolded, grabbing the front of Monk-san's top, "I don't like you much." He said,

"The feeling's mutual." Monk-san replied calmly, ignoring the hold on his top completely.

"If you resist then I'll sell her…she'd fetch a good price with that pretty face and figure…at least ten million yen I'd say…she is a virgin after all." He thought aloud as he looked over Mai's body.

"That's where you're wrong!" Naru replied as he pushed Monk-san aside and punched Haru across the face, his head snapping to the side with the impact,

"So, she's a cheap whore, that works for me, I love cheap whores, I have houses full of them, and in brothels the more experience the better." Haru replied, laughing as Naru glared up at him, his fists shaking in anger.

"Mai." Naru said as he went over to her, "Marry me." He said urgently, the look on Mai's face would have been comical had the situation been different,

"What?" she asked incredulously,

"Marry me Damnit! If you're married your husband becomes your legal guardian, meaning they can't touch you." He explained hurriedly, seeing the solution dawn on Mai, but Haru objected,

"A good theory, but with a few flaws. Firstly, you have to get out of her and actually marry, and secondly she can't get married without her guardian's consent until she's eighteen, that's two years away. Sorry to burst your bubble." He added mockingly, watching Naru thinking a way around it,

"Alright, you won't give your consent, so what about you?" Monk-san asked, turning to Shinta, who was still on the floor, his hand held to his jaw where he had been struck. Shinta looked up at his brother fearfully before shaking his head, "Alright, I don't blame you." Monk-san sighed in defeat,

"I guess it's about time we were leaving." Haru said as he went to walk by Monk-san, who stepped in his way,

"You're not taking her." He said firmly,

"I grow tired of this." Haru sighed as he pulled a gun out of his pocket, shooting Monk-san through the chest, looking down at his bleeding form with disinterest,

"Houshou!" Ayako cried as she hurried forward, feeling Haru grab her hair as she knelt beside Monk-san, "Let go!" she shouted, feeling the hard metal of the gun pressed to her head,

"Alright, we're leaving with Mai. Now." Haru said,

"Brother wait! Don't I know you?" Shinta asked curiously as he knelt in front of Ayako and looked at her as she opened Monk-san's shirt and examined the wound, "It's you!" he said in shock,

"What do you mean?" Ayako asked, not looking up from Monk-san's chest, using his shirt to wipe away the worst of the blood,

"It was about three years ago, in Kyoto." Shinta began...

* * *

"Hold on brother!" Shinta cried as he half dragged Haru down the darkened streets, no one in sight as they stumbled towards the hospital, which was miles away, _I don't know what to do! Should we even go there? We're wanted criminals!_ He thought in a panic as he paused, gasping as Haru fell to the ground beside him, "Haru! Hold on please!" he cried as he laid his brother down.

"What's going on?" a feminine voice asked. He looked up to see a beautiful young woman with long red hair looking down at him, her breath condensing in the air as she looked down in concern,

"M-my brother, he's been shot!" Shinta replied helplessly, watching as the young woman's dark eyes widened and she pulled off her long white fur-lined coat, revealing a smart suit beneath as she fell to her knees, setting her brief case aside,

"Where's the wound?" she demanded as she opened Haru's coat, seeing that the white shirt Haru was wearing was covered in blood.

"H-His chest. Here." Shinta replied as he pointed to his right ribcage, where Ayako could feel splintered ribs,

"Shit! You called an ambulance right?" she snapped as she ripped the shirt open, her fingers delicately probing the wound, her expression worried,

"W-well no." Shinta replied,

"What? You're brother is dying here! He needs to be at the hospital as soon as possible! Grab my phone!" she shouted, ripping the sleeve of her shirt off and pressing it to the bleeding wound. Shinta rummaged in her bag and handed her a sleek silver phone, taking a peek at some of the papers in the bag, all of them with 'Matsuzaki Central Hospital' in the corner of the page, _she's a…doctor?_ He thought in amazement as he continued flicking through, finding a name. _Dr. Ayako Matsuzaki…_

"Kaoru! I need an ambulance on the main street! Now! No buts, now!" she shouted before hanging up the phone, just holding the bloody material to the wound firmly, "Shit! The bleeding isn't stopping! Don't you dare fucking die!" she shouted at Haru as his skin paled. Shinta looked up at the blue lights appeared and the ambulance pulled up, paramedics gathering round,

"Dr. Matsuzaki, what happened here?" one of the men asked as they gathered around with equipment,

"Bullet wound, it's penetrated three ribs and the lung on the right hand side, we need to get him to surgery!" she replied as she climbed into the ambulance, another paramedic grabbing her brief case. The doors closed and the ambulance pulled off to the hospital as Shinta stood at the side of the road, picking up Ayako's forgotten coat and watching the empty road.

* * *

"Don't you remember?" Shinta asked, looking down at Monk-san's wound, which was a lot like the one his brother had sustained,

"I see hundred, no thousands of people in a year, I don't remember them all…but then again…I do remember a cold December night in Kyoto." She replied, ripping the sleeve off her shirt and pressing it on the wound. "But that's not important right now! I need an ambulance! Quick!" she shouted, ignoring the gun as she turned to John, who nodded and took the chance to run out of the door, a bullet whizzing past his head as he ran,

"Shinta! Stop him!" Haru ordered, turning to look at Shinta as he just stood there, "Are you deaf?" Haru asked incredulously,

"No…I won't stop him." Shinta replied.

"I see…in that case." Haru said regretfully, pulling the trigger and watching emotionlessly as his brother fell to the floor, his eyes wide and vacant. At the wall Mai screamed, diving past Ayako to Shinta's side, _this whole time…all these years…I thought it was both of you, I'm sorry Shinta, I'm sorry you got caught up with Haru, I'm sorry I-It's my you're dead!_ She thought as she looked at the vacant eyes. She felt hands on her shoulder and looked up to see Lin, his eyes full of warmth and concern. "Mai, you will get up, and you will come with me, or I will shoot him next." Haru threatened as he shifted the gun to Lin, _Lin-san? Why Lin?_ She wondered, seeing something dawn on Haru, "Or perhaps I am mistaken…very well, this one." He decided, shifting to aim at Naru, who merely glared in return,

"Haru! Stop this!" Masako said as she stepped forward, the gun shifting to her as she stepped closer,

"Get back girl!" he shouted,

"Do you not recognise me Haru?" Masako asked, her eyes showing a different presence to Masako. Haru looked impatient at first, but then he recognised him,

"Hideki, my dear baby brother, I didn't think it possible…so…what do you want?" Haru asked as he shifted his aim back to Naru and stared at Masako,

"I want you to leave my daughter alone." Hideki replied firmly, "Do this for me, I am your brother!" he added,

"Ah, but dear brother, your daughter would make me a lot of money, as would that nice house of yours." Haru replied,

"Is that all you want?" came a new voice from the door. Haru looked up to see Fai, "Well, if that's it then perhaps we can cut a deal, I am, after all, the lord of a mansion." He said as he stepped inside and looked at the carnage in disgust, the gun shifted to aim at him, "Oh put it away, I've come here on business." Fai said as he crossed to a sofa and sat down, pulling out a check book and looking at Haru with his pen poised,

"You will pay any price I ask?" Haru asked as he turned away from Naru and Masako,

"Of course, Mai is family, I can't let you have her." He replied, lowering the pen to the page, "Well? Name your price." He added,

"Ten million yen." Haru named,

"Is that all?" Fai asked in surprise,

"That and the house." Haru replied,

"How about I name it twenty million, and you leave the house?" Fai offered, writing the numbers as he received a nod.

"What are you going to do about the guardian?" Haru asked as he took the check,

"I'd adopt her." Lin said, his hand squeezing Mai's shoulder gently,

"I would too!" Ayako added,

"Or me." Monk-san managed weakly,

"She's always welcome at the church." John offered, having returned with Fai after calling an ambulance,

"I'd ask my father too." Masako piped up, Hideki releasing her,

"And of course I too am family." Fai said, "Now I suggest you leave, and leave quickly. You may have bought the police in Kyoto, but I have many friends in the Tokyo police, as for the chief…he owes me a few favours." Fai warned politely, his face as charming as usual, but his voice held a deadly undertone, one that shook Haru to the core.

"Fine." Haru replied, "Shinta we're leaving." He called, forgetting for a moment that he had shot Shinta.

"He's dead." Mai said, not looking at her uncle.

"Good riddance…he was useless anyway." Haru replied as he stepped past Ayako,

"How could you? He was your brother! He stayed with you all this time, and you killed him just like that! Why?" Mai cried as she looked up at her uncle, who looked down at her with a smirk,

"He was of no more use to me. If he doesn't obey me, I have no need for him." he replied before leaving, tears trickling down Mai's cheeks, _but…he tried so hard…he did all this to please Haru, and this is what he got in return? It's not fair! Why does he get to go unpunished?_ Mai thought, gasping as she heard a car horn, screeching tyres and a gunshot. Mai got shakily to her feet and, with Lin's help, went to the window, looking down at the chaos outside. A sleek black car had hit Haru, its window had a bullet hole in the passenger's side, blood streaked the road where Haru laid, the gun about a foot away. _Is he…dead?_ She wondered as Fai came to stand beside her,

"He won't come for you again Mai." He assured as he looked down unsmiling. _Fai…you…did you?_ She wondered as she looked down again, seeing the ambulance arrive. John went down and guided them up. "Well, goodbye Mai, I hope you will come and visit from time to time." Fai said as he left, _I really think he did._ She thought as she watched Fai slip something into the black car's driver's hand before he got into a waiting limo.


	15. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER - see chapter one

* * *

The next day Mai found herself sitting in Monk-san's hospital room, where he sat leaning back casually, his chest bandaged beneath his night shirt while Ayako scribbled on his bed chart wearing a suit with a white lab coat over the top.

"How are you?" Mai asked as she sat in the chair,

"Never better." He replied with a grin, which quickly turned to a grimace as Ayako squeezed his shoulder,

"He'll be out in a few days, and not before." She replied, giving Monk-san a firm look as Lin and Naru entered,

"I tried to walk out earlier." Monk-san confessed quietly to Mai, who gave him a stern look, "I know, I know, I should wait to heal up." he sighed boredly as he shifted.

"You're lucky notching vital was hit!" Ayako snapped as she put the chart back and sat on the edge of the bed, blushing as Monk-san put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck,

"I know! You've been reminding me all morning." He replied.

"Stop that!" Ayako ordered, nudging him away, causing another grimace as he leaned back again, "Let's get to it. I think I should take Mai, I have the space, she's already settled at my place and I'm a woman, there are certain things only women can understand." Ayako said,

"I teed to agree with Ayako-san, but what should we do about the house? Haru is dead, so it automatically goes to the state until Mai is old enough." Lin replied as he pulled out the adoption forms he had acquired,

"Um…if it's okay I'd like to get rid of it." Mai replied as she thought about walking through those doors again, seeing everything as it was before, but knowing she was alone and her father was never coming home.

"Well…that will be something to think about in a couple of years okay Mai? Just leave it in state hands for now…" Ayako suggested, "For now let's just sort out where you'll live until then, okay? Who do you want to stay with?" she asked, _well, Ayako is the best option, Monk-san will be around, I'll have someone to talk to about…girl things…and…Naru can visit._ She thought, blushing as she remembered how elated she had felt when Naru had proposed to her.

"I'll stay with Ayako for now if that's alright, but I don't want to be any trouble!" she added quickly,

"Don't be silly Mai, I offered to take you, besides, you're already moved in, it would be a shame to get Houshou to move everything again, right?" Ayako replied with a sweet smile at Monk-san, who glared at her childishly, getting a laugh from both Mai and Ayako.

"Alight, here are the papers. You can sign them later; Mai, we should get back to the office. We have a case." Naru said as Lin handed the papers to Ayako, "Monk-san, we hope you'll be well enough to join us later." He added as they left, Ayako following.

"I'll wait at the car." Lin said as he went ahead,

"I have to get back to work too." Ayako added as she walked off into the hospital, soon lost among the crowds of people. Mai was about to follow Lin when Naru grabbed her wrist and pulled her back,

"Mai…in the office yesterday…" he began awkwardly,

"It's okay…I understand, you were just saying that to save me, and I appreciate it, but I won't hold you to it, don't worry." Mai replied, feeling more than a little disappointed as she turned to walk away, but Naru pulled her back again,

"No, that's not it! Well, it is, but…" he stumbled awkwardly, _what's he trying to say?_ Mai wondered, looking at him perplexed as he pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in her hand, leaning close to her ear, "I was being serious." He whispered as he took his hand away, leaving a small diamond ring in her hand. Mai looked down at it blushing, looking up at Naru, who was obviously awaiting her answer, _oh god not now!_ She thought as tears slid down her cheeks, eliciting a warm smile from Naru as he reached up and wiped her tears away. Mai reached up and took his hand with a nod, allowing him to slip the ring onto her finger,

"We'll wait a couple of year…right?" Mai said as the began walking towards the front of the hospital,

"It only makes sense to wait. In a couple of years the business should have grown to a reasonable size." Naru reasoned, "And of course you'll be a legal adult." He added,

"Good, because I really don't want to rush into things…you know?" she said as they reached the door,

"I never rush into things." Naru replied as he pulled Mai to him and kissed her, leaning to her ear again, "I love you Mai." He whispered before walked off ahead, leaving Mai standing stunned in the doorway, _he said it…he actually said 'I love you'_ she thought, a blush warming her cheeks. Naru turned back,

"Are you going to block the door all day of come back to the office?" he asked, his narcissist mask firmly back in place. Mai gasped and ran to catch up, smiling warmly as she took Naru's arm and walked to the car,

"So when did this case come in?" she asked as they headed to the car,

"I told you at Ayako's we had a case." Naru replied,

"You mean…my Uncles weren't the clients?" she asked in confusion as he opened the door for her,

"No, I had to reschedule the appointment after what happened. Come on, let's go." Naru said as he climbed in beside Mai, who smiled and leaned on him, allowing her eyes to close as Lin pulled away to head back to SPR.

* * *

**After word**

Hey people, that's it, the Mika epic is finally over, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please check my name for other fics if you like my work, I have a few on here, and I hope to be adding more soon.

I also want to thank everyone who has read my fic, especially those who stuck with it and reviewed constantly, if it hadn't been for your nagging I never would have finished this, because without reviews you tend to move on and think no one is reading your work, so thank you all so much for your contiued report, and hopefully some of you will read some of my other fics and tell me to finish them ;-) so thank you and I hope to hear from you all soon in the reviews.

Manga-bird xx


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